After Life and Love
by gjnnypotter
Summary: The war is over but the memories still linger. After finishing her Auror training course at MACUSA, Ginny Weasley returns to the UK where a dark-haired and mysterious saviour should be the least of her concerns - for there is a killer on the loose, and who knows who’ll turn up dead next?
1. To Leave

A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first multi-chapter fic, as I've mainly just been writing oneshots for my Tumblr. This will be a Harry/Ginny fic as they are my OTP and I love playing around with their characters - it will be a slow burn story though so be warned. This will also be a Crime fic with a fair load of Angst, so again - if that isn't your cup of tea, I wouldn't recommend this particular fic of mine! It's also slightly AU, with parts not matching up with the canon storyline - so please keep that in mind. Also, my Harry is a bit OOC for reasons relevant to the story.

I wrote the first 3 chapters two years ago and I only recently picked this story up again, so my style of writing my change slightly throughout the story, but it won't be drastic. I didn't have the heart to re-write what my younger self wrote!

I welcome constructive criticism, so if I've made any mistakes - please let me know. I don't have a beta, but I have corrected all the mistakes I have been able to spot. Though because I am hopeless when it comes to technology, I probably won't be able to come back and fix said mistakes after I've posted the chapter - sorry in advance for that.

Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, those rights belong to J.K Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended in any way. Anything recognisable also belongs to J.K Rowling.

* * *

The wind was cold and bitter as it whipped her hair into her face, in spite of her best efforts to keep the tendrils tucked into the hood of her robes. It whipped about the branches of the small trees lining the road and made large droplets of collected rainwater drop like bullets from the leaves above. She hurried along the pavement, her head down and her eyes lowered. The darkness of the night was unnerving, flickering street lamps cast dancing shadows across the road and made her see things that weren't really there.

It was like an illusion.

All she wanted was to get home. The heavy drizzle of rain was sneaking its way down her back, making her shiver violently. She'd had a horrible day at work, it seemed that the ever-growing pile of paperwork on her desk was never going to shrink. She had only just managed to escape from her boss' clutches and apparate to the end of her street by a dark alleyway - out of sight from any muggles that may have been about. She could see their outlines through the curtained windows though. Each person oblivious to the witch's presence. Quickening her pace, she continued on. A puddle of spiralling rainbows lay on the pavement ahead of her next to a car parked on the kerb. She walked through it without a second thought.

She stumbled as her feet got caught on a small stick she hadn't seen in the faint glow from above. Cursing under her breath she managed to save herself from falling, hadn't her days as a chaser taught her to always be on the ball? Alicia looked up from the pavement, her house now only a few metres away. A faint smile graced her features as she placed a hand on her front gate - about to push it open when she suddenly froze.

She looked to her left, after hearing the snap a stick breaking. Her breath caught in her throat as a dark figure approached her. They were tall - really tall in comparison to her shorter stature, and they had something long and thin grasped within their hand. It wasn't a wand. Sensing danger, her hand dived into her pocket, fumbling for her wand. Her fingers had only just brushed against the handle when she felt a warm breath on the back of her neck, a dark shadow loomed over her. She turned around sharply, breathing fast and eyes wide.

Alicia Spinnet screamed.

XxX

Ginny Weasley was late. It was the third time this week she had slept through her alarm, and she was starting to think that she was going to lose her job because of it. Her boss had told her to get her act together many, many times over the past few days and Ginny wasn't really sure why she hadn't yet. She rushed around her apartment, toothbrush in her mouth as she frantically brushed her hair. Her grey pyjama bottoms still on underneath her black robes. She spat out the toothpaste that was in her mouth and quickly swished some mouthwash, her cheeks puffing up as she swirled it around, to ensure her teeth were completely clean. She glanced up and looked in the mirror that was hanging over the sink. Her long ginger hair cascaded down her back and didn't look as messy as it did a few minutes ago. She peered at her reflection for a moment longer and winked at herself before hurrying out of the bathroom, back into her bedroom.

The orange glow of the morning sun filled the room, streaming in through the cracks of her blinds. She gathered her multiple textbooks off of the floor and forced them into her shoulder bag, struggling to see what she was doing as her hair fell over her shoulders and masked her vision. She grabbed a hair bobble from her bedside table and impatiently pulled it back into a ponytail. She sighed wearily as she stood up and pocketed the wand that had been lying on top of her rumpled bed covers. Heaving her bag onto her shoulder she glanced at the small clock on the windowsill.

She was twenty minutes late.

Bugger.

Ginny hurried out of the bedroom and walked into the front hall of her magically expanded apartment. She shoved her feet into a pair of trainers, swearing as she realised too late that she was still in her pyjama bottoms. She pushed open her front door and slammed it behind her, quickly locking it before running down ten flights of stairs to the ground floor of the building. She ran out of the front doors onto the street outside.

Skyscrapers surrounded her as busy New Yorkers brushed by her in their own rush to get to their desired destination. The acrid smell of petrol, smoke and week-old rubbish graced her nostrils as she ran through downtown Manhattan to get to the MACUSA Headquarters. After ten minutes of weaving her way through crowds of locals, tourists and vendors, Ginny arrived at the Woolworth Building, gasping and clutching a stitch in her side. She painfully approached the security wizard guarding the entrance to the side of the main muggle entrance. He eyed her with slight exasperation.

'You late again Weasley?'

'Yes, John. I am. Now would you please just open the door? Lucy is going to kill me and I'd rather not draw out my impending doom for any longer than necessary.' Ginny said between breaths, eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

'Ok Weasley, just chill out alright? I'm sure she won't kill you, she'll just be mildly annoyed,' John lied smoothly while opening the door for her, 'don't stress too much, there's not much she can do other than shout for a bit or fire you for your inability to turn up to work on time.' He smirked at her as she walked past him, elbowing him roughly in the ribs as she went by.

By the time she had sprinted up the flamboyant main stairs and arrived at the elevator doors, she was the same colour as her hair. One older witch who was also in the queue for the lift shuffled slightly away from Ginny while shooting her a look of utter disgust, and from that look, Ginny gathered that she didn't look great. The grate in front of the elevator slid open with a bang and everyone around her clambered in.

'Auror Headquarters please.' She mumbled to the miserable house elf in charge of the stops.

She walked into the elevator and was immediately pushed into the wall, uncomfortably close to a young wizard who had been staring at her creepily for the past few minutes. She breathed heavily through her nose as she stood her ground, ignoring the wizard's prying eyes to the best of her ability. She attempted to push down the urge to hex the living daylights out of him by settling for shooting him a look of total disdain.

'Auror Headquarters.' The small elf called to the elevator's occupants, drowning out Ginny's sigh of relief. She squeezed past the few people in front of her, muttering apologies as she went, and stumbled out of the elevator into the wide corridor.

'Thank you!' She called out to the elf, only to find that he had already left. She walked through the corridors of the department, but it seemed to be empty. Where was everyone? She continued on, her black robes billowing behind her as she peered into the empty training classrooms and empty offices. She reached the end of the corridor and peered into the briefing room, her stomach plummeting as she saw every Auror and Auror trainee that worked at MACUSA in the same room.

Merlin's pants she was dead.

'Here goes nothing Weasley.' She mumbled to herself as she knocked once and pushed open the door. All of the room's inhabitants turned in their chairs to look at her as she stepped in hesitantly. Ginny saw her friend Emma grimace at her in sympathy before the harsh, biting voice of Chief Auror Lucy Jenson cut through the air.

'What time do you call this Weasley?' She snapped, her thick accent very telling of the fact that she was from New Jersey. Ginny, not knowing if the question was rhetorical or not, merely shrugged.

'Well? Don't just shrug your shoulders! Answer me.'

So it wasn't rhetorical. Great.

'I'm sorry Auror Jenson, I swear it won't happen again.'

'It's not just the fact that you're late again Weasley. It's the fact that you turn up here looking like you've gone for a morning swim in a dumpster, you rudely interrupt our meeting that I warned you not to miss, and you don't seem at all sorry about it!' Lucy snapped as she ran a hand through her short mousy brown hair.

'I am, I really am sorry Lucy. It won't happen again. I promise.' Ginny said as sincerely as she could while holding her head high. Lucy stared at her for a moment, her face unreadable, before she sighed, her hard demeanour softening.

'Just sit down and listen Weasley.' Ginny nodded solemnly as she sat down next to Emma. Emma glanced at her and smiled reassuringly as Ginny nodded at her in appreciation for saving her a seat. She turned her attention back to what Lucy was saying.

'The thugs in Brooklyn who have been smuggling Kneazles into Canada have been put away now thanks to Davison and his team,' She said as she gestured to a light-haired wizard on her right, 'I hope everyone else is on top of their cases, and I still need an update on the muggle attacks in Washington, Auror Harrison.' She stared pointedly at a small willowy witch as she spoke, the witch nodded and stared stonily back at her. Lucy shuffled her notes, mentally checking off everything she had covered. She cleared her throat and addressed the room again.

'As you all may know, our trainee course is coming to an end and this means that our probationary period is about to begin. I know this only applies to a few of you, but those in question need to start thinking about if you're really suited to this career path. Training is nothing like the actual job we have to do every day. I trust you will all make the right decision.' Ginny processed what her boss was saying, her brain working to keep up.

'Now on another note, we have received a placement request from the Ministry of Magic in the United Kingdom. They are looking for an Auror with at least a rank of 5 in their Stealth and Tracking class and a 4 in Concealment and Disguise. If you are interested in this position, please stay behind and see me. The rest of you are free to go.' Lucy finished as she dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

The Ministry was looking for an Auror. It was as if they had somehow read her mind! Ginny had been wanting to go back to the UK for a couple of months now. As much as she loved it in New York, it just wasn't _home_. She missed her family and her friends. She missed the quiet busyness of the Burrow and the fresh breeze she felt when she flew in the orchard with her brothers. She couldn't pass up this opportunity. She'd kick herself if she didn't take this chance. From the letters she had received from her brother Ron, the Auror Office in the UK sounded completely different from their American equivalent. But it sounded like a good kind of different.

Ginny remained in her seat as most of her colleagues left the room. Emma walked past her and gave her a subtle thumbs up as she walked out of the door. The only people left in the room were Lucy and Ginny. Lucy shut the door as the last person left with a wave of her wand. She surveyed Ginny with raised eyebrows, then smiled slightly as she considered the woman sitting before her.

'I should've known.'

She slowly moved around the lectern she had been standing behind and made her way up the room, her black heeled boots clacking as she went. She stopped directly in front of Ginny and studied her closely for a couple of drawn-out seconds. She then reached out sharply and grabbed the chair next to Ginny, pulling it towards her whilst spinning it around, straddling it and leaning forward - resting her elbows on the back of the chair.

'I have to say Weasley, I'm disappointed.' Lucy said as she rubbed a hand over her face.

'Why's that?' Ginny couldn't stop her surprise from showing.

'You're my best trainee, I had thought you were planning on staying here after your course was completed.'

'I'm sorry Lucy, but I need to go back.' She felt guilty but knew that she was doing the right thing, 'Look on the bright side though. I can use some of those nifty little jinxes you taught me when dealing with some of the criminals, or even co-workers. You know the ones. They'll all be blown away by their brilliance!'

Lucy chuckled slightly to herself, before sighing sadly. 'You make me laugh, you know that? I guess I can't hold onto you forever though Weasley, as much as I'd like to. I'll send a few owls and arrange your portkey back to England. It'll probably take a few days, so I'd start packing up your apartment and start saying goodbye to your friends here. You'll have to tell your family you're going ba- what?' She stopped speaking at Ginny's stunned expression.

'You're being serious? You're actually going to approve the transfer?' Ginny said, trying not to get her hopes up, though it was already way too late for that.

'Of course I am - I'm no fool Weasley. I can tell you'll do great things over there. You'll officially be transferred over to the Auror Office of the Ministry of Magic of the United Kingdom. You'll receive your portkey in a few days with instructions on what to do when you arrive at the Ministry.' Lucy stood, hesitating before she placed a scarred hand on Ginny's shoulder.

She looked down at the younger girl, a sorrowful expression hijacking her strong features. 'We'll all miss you here Ginny. Take care and send a few owls if you have the time.' And with that, she turned and walked towards the door. Her purple robes billowing around her as she opened it and left - leaving Ginny alone in the room.

Ginny allowed a large grin to almost split her face in two as she slipped towards the door Lucy had just gone through. A euphoric sensation swept through her at that one piece of news.

Ginny Weasley was going home.

* * *

A/N: I googled the difference between the US Auror Department and the UK Auror Office and after careful deliberation, I've gone with what the HP Wiki states. Apparently, in the US, there's no "Head Auror" but a "Chief Auror". I'll be honest, I had no idea that was a thing until I read the Wiki.

These first couple of chapters will act more as an introduction and so they won't be too plot-heavy. They will also be substantially shorter than what the later chapters will be, so hang in there folks!

As I've previously mentioned, this is my first multi-chaptered fic. Up until now, I've only written oneshots, so this is a brand new experience for me and I'm looking forward to it!


	2. To Return

Brief A/N: This chapter is more for the purpose of exposition. I'll be the first to say that I'm waffling a bit in these first few chapters - but I'm only doing so to set up the story and hopefully make things a bit easier to follow and understand :)

* * *

Ginny arrived back at her apartment after what felt like her longest shift in years. Night shifts always felt longer than day shifts. She pulled out her wand and tapped the door handle, hearing the telltale click of it unlocking. She leaned against the door and pushed it open, kicking her black boots off as she stepped in. She closed the door behind her and made her way towards her bedroom. The room was completely barren of any of her personal items, they were all to be found in the small handbag sitting next to her feet - everything was reduced in size so it could fit into her small bag. She couldn't help but smile as she all but threw her wand onto the bedside table and flopped face-first onto the bed, bouncing slightly as the momentum carried her.

Ginny was going home in 10 minutes.

Lucy had given her the Ministry issued portkey at the office today and she had made all of her required goodbyes. Emma and Lucy were the hardest to say goodbye to, they had all embraced each other as numerous promises to write had been made. Her portkey would be going off soon, the innocent looking hairbrush was inside one of her many desk drawers waiting to be taken back to the UK. Back home.

Ginny couldn't wait to go home. It had been ages since she had seen her family. She corresponded through owls with her Mum, George and Ron weekly - and with the rest of her family monthly. She would see them all very soon. She considered that she'd come across Ron first. The portkey she was taking was charmed to transport her to the Ministry's official portkey arrival hub. From there, she would go and meet with Minister Shacklebolt and he would then take her down to the Auror Office, where she'd meet the Head - Gawain Robards.

And hopefully her brother too.

Ginny stood up and took a last look around her empty apartment, just in case she had forgotten anything. Her fingers lightly danced across the window frame as she gazed out at the New York skyline for the last time, the sun rising from behind the buildings. With a grin plastered on her face, she turned on her heel and opened the bedside drawer, just in time to see the hairbrush begin to glow. She quickly took hold of it, and with the familiar tug at her navel, she was heading back to London.

XxX

She had never quite mastered how to land properly when travelling either by floo or portkey, even from a young age. That's how Ginny found herself slightly disoriented and sprawled across a hard wooden floor. A pained groan escaped from between her slightly parted lips as she staggered up. Closing her eyes and clutching her head, she barely heard the bored voice call out from behind her.

'10:00 AM portkey arrival from New York, this way please.' a short brown haired wizard said as he gestured to a corridor just in front of her. He peered at her as she stumbled in a drunken manner towards him and smirked as he scanned the clipboard in his hands.

'It's Weasley, right?' at her nod, he handed her a scroll of parchment.

'That's from Minister Shacklebolt. He asked me to pass that on to you.'

'Oh okay, thank you-' her eyes darted to his name badge, '- Aidan.' She attempted to smile at him, though it may have appeared more as a grimace she thought she walked away, still feeling the effects of the portkey. She slowly ambled through the corridors of the Department of International Travel, nodding politely to anyone who greeted her, until she reached the quiet sanctuary of the elevator. She pressed the button to take her up to Minister's office, and she rested her head against the door as it started to rise and take a sharp left. She was still knackered from her night shift in America, immediately followed by a long portkey journey. Soon after she got into it, the elevator stopped as a friendly voice called out, 'Level One - Minister for Magic and Support Staff.' She quickly hopped out of the elevator, suddenly excited by the prospect of seeing Kingsley again after 4 years away.

She quickly walked down the corridor, a newfound bounce incorporating itself into her steps. Several Witches and Wizards smiled at her in greeting, as did some of the portraits on the wall as she approached Kingsley's office. She stopped in front of his assistant's desk, which was stationed in front of his office.

'Hi. Um… I'm Ginny Weasley. Kingsl - I mean, Minister Shacklebolt told me to come here after I arrived from America.' She smiled at the young secretary as she shuffled her feet impatiently. The secretary smiled kindly back at Ginny as the book in front of her flipped to the Ministers schedule for the day. Her finger traced down the page and the book snapped shut after she spent a moment scanning the page.

'He's ready for you now Miss Weasley. If you'd like to just go in, he should be there.' Ginny nodded her thanks and turned towards the door. She brushed down her black robes in a desperate bid to look somewhat presentable, her mother's shrill cries ringing in her ears from the last time she had tried to meet with someone important while she, "Looked like she had been dragged through a bush backwards!"

She raised her hand to knock, but the door swung open before she could do so.

'Ginny Weasley - It's been far too long!' Kingsley smiled as he stood up and came round from behind his desk. Ginny couldn't help but grin as she stepped forwards into his office, the door closing behind her. She couldn't stop herself from wrapping him in a hug. He obviously didn't seem to mind about the informalities as she felt several gentle pats on her back before he released her. He took a seat back behind his desk and gestured to a comfy-looking armchair facing him. Ginny took the offered seat, putting her bag down by her feet as she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

She had a quick glance around Kingsley's office - there were five framed awards on the walls, placed in between the two windows on the back wall but Ginny couldn't make out who was in them. His desk was an organised mess, with piles upon piles of paperwork strewn across it. There were two photographs on it, Ginny recognised one to be of the second Order of the Phoenix and the other to be of Albus Dumbledore and Kingsley himself standing on the grounds of Hogwarts, the castle standing proudly in the background. She was soon snapped out of her musings by his deep tenor voice.

'Welcome back Ginny, we've all missed you here. How long has it been now since you left? About four years isn't it?' He said as he leaned back in his chair.

'Yes sir, exactly four years in two days. I left for America in August 1999. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to train in New York.'

'I understand Ginny, I would have done the same at your age. I won't keep you long - we can catch up at another time, I know you're eager to see your family again.' He gave her a gentle look as he leaned forward slightly.

'As you already know, we need more Aurors. After the war, our ranks were vastly depleted, and although things are better now, they're still not perfect. We've got too many cases and not enough Aurors to work them all. To make our matters worse, one of our best just retired and her speciality was in Stealth and Tracking along with Concealment and Disguise. That's why we set you minimum qualifications in those two fields. She too trained in America, so we thought it best to offer up her placement to the MACUSA Aurors. That's as much as _I_ can tell you, you'll hear the rest from Gawain Robards - your new boss. Here, I'll walk you up to the Auror Office.' Kingsley looked at her with kind eyes as he stood up and walked towards the door. Ginny quickly stood up too and grabbed her bag before walking out of the door, coming to his side. He nodded at his secretary as he strode towards the lifts, his smart blue robes streaming behind him as he walked. He smiled down at Ginny as if he could sense her wariness of Robards.

'Your brother is in today, in case you were wondering. I'm sure you can go and see him after meeting with Gawain.' Ginny's spirits lifted immediately.

'That would be great. I've missed that tosser. Don't tell him I said that though.'

'Which part?'

'All of it.'

Kingsley laughed as he stepped into the empty elevator, Ginny having gone in front of him.

'Don't worry, your secret's safe with me.' He said as the elevator started to ascend. Ginny turned to face him, her face set in sceptical lines.

'Is he harsh? Robards I mean. I've heard a fair few things about him from Ron, he mentioned once or twice that Robards was one of the reasons he's leaving to join George at the shop.'

'Gawain isn't that bad-' at Ginny's stern glare he sighed, '- ok, he is a bit harsh, but he's been under a lot of pressure lately, what with half of his staff quitting or being killed.' There was a short pause before Kingsley spoke again.

'Is there any way you could persuade Ron to stay? He really is a brilliant Auror, we can't afford to lose him.' He sounded like he was pleading as he spoke, not just requesting a small favour.

'No, I think he's pretty set on his decision.' Ginny sighed morosely as the lift shuddered to a stop and the elevator voice chimed, "Level Two - Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

'This way Ginny.' She followed Kingsley through a web of corridors until they reached the Auror Office. The first thing she noticed was how noisy it was. Raised and frantic voices could be heard through the whole area as overworked and tired Ministry Aurors brushed past them, saying their passing hellos to the Minister. She followed Kingsley through the maze of cubicles when she suddenly found herself in front of a door with a fancy bronze nameplate on it that read, "Head Auror - Gawain Robards".

Kingsley raised his fist and knocked twice. A rough, sharp voice called through, 'Come in.' Kingsley swung the door open and motioned for Ginny to go in first. She took in a deep breath to steel herself before she straightened up and walked in confidently. Gawain Robards sat at his desk, twirling a quill in his ink-stained fingers. He studied her intensely, his sharp grey eyes scanning her from top to toe. His office wasn't like Kingsley's, it was rather empty - as if he hadn't gotten round to decorating it yet, even though he'd been in his position for many years. Ginny heard the door close firmly behind her, and the blinds on the windows that looked out onto the cubicles shut with a snap.

'Minister Shacklebolt.' He said with a nod as he straightened up in his chair. 'And you must be Miss Weasley. Please take a seat - you as well Kingsley if you'd like.' In a similar fashion to Kingsley earlier on, he gestured to the soft chairs in front of his desk. They both sat down, Ginny lightly brushing down her robes as she did so.

'I take it you've informed her of the basics Minister?' He fixed Kingsley with a questioning look.

'I have indeed Gawain, just as we discussed.'

'Good. Now, as I understand Miss Weasley, you have transferred from MACUSA's Auror Department, that is currently being run by Lucy Jenson, with the required marks in the required fields we asked for. You graduated from Hogwarts in 1999 with Outstanding N.E.W.T's in Charms and Transfiguration and Exceeds Expectations in Potions, DADA and Herbology. All of that is great, I'll admit…' Robards stood up and walked around his desk to stand before Ginny. She gulped rather obviously as his six foot five tall form towered over her. His silvery hair was slicked back and his immaculately pressed robes made him look every bit as impressive and intimidating as Ron had said.

'... but I want you to understand a few things. We here at the Ministry do not run in the same way as MACUSA. We do not operate in the same way as MACUSA. We do not have the same rules of policies as MACUSA. You will do as I, or any other your superior officers say without complaint and you will adhere to all of the departmental regulations. You understand?' Ginny's nodded quickly, her lips pressed together in a stoic line. Her mouth had gone very dry very quickly.

'Yes sir, I understand.' She said smoothly, not giving away the fact that his intimidation tactic was working.

'Good -' he backed away a few paces and leaned against his desk, smirking darkly, '- but if you ever plan on following your brothers lead, and you decide to go and leave us suddenly to run a joke shop of all things - there will be hell to pay.'

'Now now Gawain, we can't have you putting her off of the job immediately, can we?' Kingsley chuckled as he stood up, his silver earring glinting in the light, as he tucked his chair back under the desk.

'I'll leave you two alone to discuss the details. I, meanwhile, have a large stack of paperwork to get through by tomorrow - just send a note if you need me. Good luck Ginny, it's great to have you back.' He nodded to each of them in turn, before he swept out of the door, gently closing it behind him.

The silence that ensued after Kingsley's departure felt like it lasted for an eternity. Ginny tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and jiggled her leg unconsciously. She didn't know if he expected her to say anything, so she merely watched on as Robards checked his watch.

'Bugger, there's a team meeting in five. Guess I'll have to make this quick.' He said sharply as he prowled the floor slowly, as if he were a lion stalking its prey. Ginny turned her seat around so she could still see him, confused as to what he was trying to achieve.

'We have lots of open cases right now Auror Weasley, but I don't think I want you to be assigned to one by yourself just yet. I need you to get to grips with our ways of operation before you go charging into one by yourself. You understand?' He paused in his pacing and turned to look at her.

'Yes sir, I understand.' She said almost monotonously, while softly nodding her head.

_Merlin I'm starting to sound like a stuck record_

Ginny thought, smirking to herself in amusement.

'Good. I think I'll ask Mackinnon to show you around the department. You'll catch on to our ways soon enough. But just while-' He was interrupted by a couple of loud knocks at the door.

'Yes?' Robards called impatiently. The door swung open and revealed a pretty young witch dressed in the scarlet robes of the Auror uniform. Her shimmery black hair was straight, with not one hair out of place - Ginny found herself feeling slightly jealous of the woman's effortless pristine appearance. She had dark skin and a dimpled smile that anyone would kill for. She looked pityingly at Robards.

'They're ready for you in the meeting room. Everyone's there, including Dawlish before you ask. He managed to drag his lazy arse in on time for once.' She smirked, her chocolatey eyes shining with amusement and regret at the same time.

'Thank you Shafiq, I'll be through soon. Tell Potter to start without me.'

'Will do sir.' Shafiq mockingly curtseyed and quickly left before Robards could say anything in return.

Ginny watched her leave, her mind racing as millions of thoughts went racing through her head at once. Potter? Did he just say-? She couldn't stop her quiet gasp of realisation. Of course Robards had said his name, she had read about _his_ outstanding arrest record in the Daily Prophet plenty of times. How had it not clicked with her that _the_ Harry Potter worked here in this very place? Ginny could hardly believe that Ron hadn't let slip in one of his letters that he was working alongside Harry Potter - a boy who Ginny had adored since she could remember. She was actually shocked that she hadn't received a letter along the lines of, "_Ginny, just wanted to send you a quick letter saying ha! Guess who I'm with right now? Did you guess? I'll save you the trouble - it's Harry Potter. You know, the person you've been obsessed with since the world as we know it started turning?_" Obviously her childhood fantasy of ever meeting him, and that small crush she had had long since dissipated, but she still - like any other witch or wizard in the country - respected and idolised both him and his work.

Not to mention that he was beyond gorgeous.

Oh yes, Ginny had seen her fair share of pictures of him in the Daily Prophet that she had gotten delivered to her New York apartment, and she would be one of the first to admit that she thought that Harry Potter was one of the most handsome men in the Wizarding community.

No. Scratch that. The entire world.

Ginny's thoughts were snapped back to reality with the thud of Robards' boots hitting the floor as he strode towards the door. He placed a scarred hand on the door handle, but he didn't open it. He spoke to her over his shoulder, 'Now is as good a time as ever to introduce you to the squad-' He swung open the door and held it open for her, 'If you'd just follow me.' Ginny stood up and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she squared her shoulders in a show of confidence. She had one last glance around the office before she marched past Robards, out of the door and into the hall. Ginny only had to wait for only a second until Robards quickly walked past her and led her down the corridor. She had to awkwardly jog to keep up with his ridiculously long steps, ducking along the way to avoid being hit in the face by a flying memo. She heard a deep chuckle from beside her.

'You're going to have to get used to that, happens quite often around here. Dawlish got one to the eye the other day,' He grinned maliciously, 'I hope it hurt.'

Ginny could only stare at him, slightly set back by his blatant show of dislike towards one of his own Aurors. In America, even if you didn't like one of your colleagues - you wouldn't say anything too obvious to show it. And Lucy would never be seen dead insulting one of them. Not to their face anyway. It was one of the many unspoken rules of their department.

She would just have to try and figure out the unspoken rules here then too.

Before she could say anything to Robards, the pair of them arrived at a heavy-looking set of doors that lead to the conference room. Ginny was suddenly all too aware of her heart thudding against her chest.

'Just follow me. We'll wait until the debriefs are done and then I'll introduce you formally. Mackinnon can do all of the extras with you. You'll be fine, don't fret too much. You look like you're about to faint.' He gave her a weird look, then he turned and pushed open the doors.

* * *

A/N: Hello! I won't lie when I say I wasn't all too thrilled with this chapter, but I had no idea how to change it so that I would actually like it. However, after careful deliberation, I've decided that it's ok as it is, and there isn't anything else I need to add in or take away. I need to keep reminding myself that this was written two years ago when I thought that I needed to include every single nitty-gritty detail in order for people to know what was going on. I realise now that I don't have to do that :D

Next chapter will be up soon, and we'll be seeing some familiar and not so familiar faces!

Shian1998 - Thank you for your lovely review! Though I'm afraid my lips are sealed on that matter for the time being, I don't want to accidentally spoil anything :)


	3. Reunions

Ginny shifted uncomfortably against the wall that both she and Robards were leaning against. They had been standing there for about two minutes, and nobody else in the room had noticed her. Yet. She had never seen so many despondent, tired and pissed off looking people in one place in her whole life. There were about fifty scarlet-robed Aurors leaning back in their chairs, half-asleep as one of their colleagues, with a rather cocky tone, finished addressing them.

'...so we all need to cut down on the days off and stay on high alert.' The pompous looking Auror stepped back from the lectern at the front of the meeting room to a sarcastic call from the back of the room.

'Thank Merlin that's over. Every week he somehow manages to get more and more boring. How _are_ you doing it Dawlish?'

'That's enough Jones.' Robards snapped, though the corners of his mouth twitched as if he was suppressing a smile. Jones quirked an amused eyebrow at Robards and leant even further back in his chair.

Ginny, recalling what Robards had said mere minutes ago while in the hallway, gathered that Dawlish wasn't very popular among his colleagues. The hate-filled glares she realized that Dawlish was receiving - even after he had resumed his seat - solidified her theory. But her curious train of thought was interrupted when she spotted a tall man with a bright red head of hair she could recognise anywhere, standing at the back of the room. Two other men, one with his head down, stood on either side of him, though she barely paid them any attention. Her spirits lifted as she gazed at Ron, grinning madly. She stared at her brother, silently willing him to look in her direction.

She had no idea if the news of her return she had included in the owl she had sent to her mum and dad prior to her arrival had reached Ron. Ginny couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he finally noticed her. Merlin, he was in for a shock!

Robards' sharp bark from beside her jarred her out of her efforts to catch Ron's eye. His tone was strict, but his expression was soft.

'Alright Potter, wrap this up. I have something to say as well.' Ginny's head snapped up automatically, a fluttering sensation in her stomach took hold as she scanned the many faces in front of her, searching for the one she knew oh-so-well from the paper

_Cut it out! _ She thought, glancing down at her stomach with narrowed eyebrows.

Ginny watched as the man to the right of Ron pushed himself tiredly off the wall and walked slowly to the front of the room until he was a mere few feet away from her position by the wall. Ginny's breath caught in her chest as she realised that she was looking at her childhood crush and lifelong hero. Her brow creased slightly though as she scanned him intensely from top to toe. While Robards was dressed in immaculately pressed robes and looked pristine and professional - the man in front of her looked scruffy. His robes were creased and ragged as if he had slept in them and his emerald green eyes had dark purple bags under them, giving off the impression that he had been given two black eyes. His badge was pinned haphazardly to the breast of the scarlet robes, hanging off limply, though the silver colour of it identified him as a Senior Auror.

Ginny couldn't stop her jaw from dropping slightly as she took in his haggard appearance. The other Aurors may have been slightly ruffled too, but they had nothing on him. He sighed tiredly as he rubbed a hand over his face in a bid to wake himself up a bit. He stood up tall, despite his obvious exhaustion, and his hands gripped either side of the lectern at the front of the room. Ginny could see his knuckles turn white.

'Alright, I'll make this quick - we all have a lot to get done. A young witch has been found murdered just outside of her home. We've got a forensics team down in Newquay guarding the scene until my team and I get down there. We are on standby for any more intel and have placed this case on the High priority threat level. That's all I can really say to you at the present moment. Shafiq-' he looked at the witch that had come to fetch Robards earlier, '- can you be assistant command in this case?'

Shafiq smiled and nodded her head. 'Of course Harry.' He nodded back at her in thanks before his gaze swept across the other Aurors assembled.

'I'd also like Mackinnon, Fawley, Jones, Howards and Macleod. That's if your schedules aren't too busy. This is a big case and therefore will probably demand a lot, if not all, of our time.' He looked at them all in turn and nodded in thanks when they all nodded back at him with slight grins.

'Good. We'll meet in two hours back in here, and please wrap up or pass on any other ongoing cases you may have in that time.' And with that he left the podium and strode quite quickly back to the wall next to Ron - who muttered something in his ear that made the corner of Harry's mouth twitch, but then his face fell back into tired lines after only a second.

Ginny couldn't help but stare at her brother in something akin to amazement. How in the name of Merlin did he manage to keep his lips sealed in each letter he sent to her about this? She didn't have the time to think about it too deeply though, as Robards gestured to Ginny to follow him to the front of the room. He positioned himself in front of the lectern and cleared his throat.

'Thank you for that Potter. Just one more thing before you all clear off, I know how desperate you are to get back to work - yes _work_ Cloves,' amused titters of laughter were aimed at a young blonde man who couldn't quite hide his skepticism at Robards' sarcasm, 'As you can see we have a new recruit. I know, I know - it's about damn time. This is Auror Ginny Weasley, she's just completed her training and has transferred from MACUSA. Mackinnon-' a young, pretty blonde witch with unusually high cheekbones sat up straighter at hearing her name, '- I want you to be Weasley's partner, just for now so you can advise her and keep an eye on her.'

'Sure thing sir.' Mackinnon mock saluted at her boss and shot Ginny a kind smile.

Ginny immediately warmed to the witch. There was a rebellious aura about her that Ginny could personally relate to. As she returned Mackinnon's smile, she saw Ron's shocked expression. It seemed as though he had forgotten to close his mouth. She smirked at him, raising her brow and tilting her head as if to say "_surprised_?". His mouth snapped shut and he shook his head slowly in exasperation.

'Great. Weasley can hop in on your ongoing case.' Robards continued.

Mackinnon stared back at Robards, then she sat up even straighter than before and raised her head.

'I've closed all my cases sir. I have no more open ones.' She sounded proud of herself, and Ginny could see the envious looks her coworkers were giving her.

'Even the Albertalli case?' Mackinnon nodded, 'Well, have the report on my desk by the end of the day. Then you can watch out for Weasley while the two of you join on with Potter's new case. An extra pair of hands wouldn't go amiss on that investigation.'

If Ginny could go back in time and tell her ten-year-old self that she would be working with Harry Potter, she was sure that the excited squeals that would meet her hears would be heard even from miles away. However now, she was content enough to smile slightly in a bid to remain as professional as she could. Nobody had to know that, inside, she felt as though she was dancing the conga.

Robards dismissed everyone with a sharp bark, and the overworked Aurors scattered, shuffling out of the door without even bothering to look chipper. Ginny barely paid them any mind as she weaved her way through the throng of people, thanking anyone who welcomed her as she went, to greet her brother who was making his way towards her.

Ron smiled at her, shaking his head again in a pleasantly surprised manner.

'Didn't think of letting me know you'd be moving back here then eh? Oh wait - you wanted to give your favourite brother a nasty shock didn't you? I have you all figured out.' Ginny laughed.

'Favourite brother?' Her eyebrows rose as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking him up and down while putting on an exaggerated haughty tone, 'Who said anything about you being my "favourite brother"? If anything it's George!'

'It's ok, you don't have to lie at such lengths just to preserve my ego.'

'You're right I don't. I lied - it's really Percy who's my favourite.' Ron gasped dramatically and held his chest in mock hurt.

'No! Not, _Percy_?' He gasped. Ginny's serious facade cracked as she failed to stop her lips from twitching at the look on Ron's face.

'Yes, Percy. You heard me.'

'I'm going to pretend I didn't'

'You do that.' She couldn't hold her giggles in any longer, and Ron grinned at her. She stepped forward and gave him a quick hug, squeezing him right before she let go.

'I missed you, you idiot. There was no one to take the piss out of properly in America.'

'Missed you too Gin-' She scowled as he used the nickname she had when she was ten. '-though some warning would have been nice. I looked like a right tosser there, not knowing that my own sister was transferring.'

'No different than usual then?' She smirked, dodging a lighthearted whack he had tried to give her, 'I did send a letter to mum. I wasn't sure if she had time to spread the news though. Evidently, she didn't.'

'Evidently indeed.'

The conference room had slowly emptied of everyone as they spoke, leaving only the two Weasley's. Ron glanced at his watch, the lamp-light reflecting of its face causing a small dot to appear on the far wall. He cringed as he realised the time. He gave Ginny an apologetic look.

'I need to go and finish my leaver's report. Robards wants it done ASAP. He's still pissed that I'm leaving to join George. It doesn't help that Charlie Morris retired and Neville left all in the space of a couple of months. Poor sod's getting desperate.'

'I think anyone in his shoes would too really, you can't blame him. I'll come with you, I need to find Mackinnon.' They ambled towards the door, not in any sort of rush to leave. Ron turned to gave her as they strolled.

'Oh, Ronaid you mean? Ronaid Mackinnon? She's nice, reminds me of you a bit. Hermione likes her too - she's very good at time management is Ronaid. Helped Hermione out when they had to sort out the scheduling disaster. That's a story for another day though.'

'She seems nice.'

Ginny pulled open the door to the room, stepping through into the corridor just opposite the cubicles where her co-workers sat hunched over their paperwork or case files. Ron joined her, stopping next to her shoulder. He grimaced, looking out at his busy colleagues.

'I won't miss this, I tell you. I didn't realise just how much paperwork is involved in this job,' He sighed before he tilted his head to the side, leading Ginny down the aisle, 'I'll help you find Mackinnon, she won't have gone too far. She knows she's got you to babysit after a- hey!' He exclaimed, rubbing his arm where she had elbowed him roughly.

'I'm sorry, my elbow must have slipped.' Ginny said sweetly, eyes narrowing dangerously.

'Careful now, you don't want your elbow to "slip" when Robards is around. You never know where he could be lurking, scary bastard.' Ron said as they continued down the corridor, the cubicles to their right.

'You know, I may have only been here for what? An hour and a bit? But Robards isn't that bad. He's been somewhat pleasant to me.'

'Yeah, that's because you're new. He'll try to give you a false sense of security, then he'll come down on you like a ton of bricks.'

'Nah, you're just jealous that he seems to like me. My old boss did too.' Ron outright laughed at this.

'_Like_ you? Oh Ginny, you're taking the comedic route I see!' He chuckled before sobering up slightly, 'Robards likes no one. There is no one on this planet that he likes. Well, maybe there's a few exceptions - but still, a few people in the whole world?' He scoffed.

'What about… I don't know, Kingsley? Robards was nice enough to him when they were together in his office.' Ginny said back to him, trying to find a loophole in her brother's judgement.

'See, there's a difference between liking someone and respecting someone. Robards respects Kingsley. Doesn't mean to say he likes him.' Ron said nodding at her as he made his point. Ginny slowed right down, not in too much of a hurry to meet Mackinnon. A sudden thought spring to her mind as she peered up at Ron intently.

'Who are the exceptions?'

'What?'

'Who are the exceptions? You heard me.'

Ron sighed and had a quick glance around them, his trepidation of being caught by his boss having this conversation making him paranoid. He rattled off a few names, names that Ginny didn't recognise, before he reached the showstopper.

'Then of course there's Harry.' Ginny's eyes widened.

'I mean, to be honest, I'm not surprised Robards likes him. There are rumours that Harry will be the next head, and that's why Robards is trying to butter him up - so Harry will continue to run things the same way he has all this time. Not that that'll work.' Ron smiled darkly.

Ginny leaned against the wall, her sleep-deprived brain trying its hardest to take in everything her brother was saying. Her brain seemed to catch up to the topic of conversation, and it helpfully supplied her with a question she was yearning to know the answer to.

'Why didn't you tell me that you're, I don't know - friends with him?' Ron looked surprised and slightly nervous at her question before he made a face of exaggerated confusion.

'Who?'

'Oh, don't give me that. I'm being serious!' She said.

Ron sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, 'I didn't tell you because I didn't want to get your hopes up. Don't think I haven't forgotten how smitten you were with him when we were younger. I didn't want to distract you from your last year at Hogwarts or your training in America.'

'That's bullshit.' Ginny scoffed.

'Look - I thought you not knowing would be for the best. You were obsessed with him Ginny! Completely infatuated. You had this fairytale-like picture of him in your head and I didn't want you to be disappointed by the reality.' Ron looked guilty, but Ginny didn't really care. She was confused. Why would she be disappointed? Ron seemed to realise just what she was thinking. He opened his mouth again to speak but hesitated after his eyes flicked over Ginny's shoulder. His face suddenly lightened up and he smiled tightly at someone, shooting Ginny a quick look that said '_shut up and don't say anything about__ that._'

Her brow furrowed, trust him to find a way out of coming clean with her.

Ginny spun on her heel, her hair whipping around to smack her in the face. She spat the fiery tendrils out of her mouth, cursing under her breath as she realised why Ron was so eager to cut their conversation off.

'Ronaid, Harry-' Ron nodded at the pair of them in turn, his tone light and friendly, '-I was just telling my sister here about the responsibility she'll have here as the only Weasley in the squad, what with me leaving and all.' He said pompously. Ginny smacked the arm that was winding around her shoulders away and heard Ron wince quietly. Ronaid raised an eyebrow.

'The only responsibility she'll have as a Weasley is not fucking off to run a joke shop with her brother - a responsibility that you, my friend, cocked up.' Her Scottish accent couldn't quite hide the levity gracing her words. She turned to Ginny, holding out a hand.

'Ronaid Mackinnon. I know you already knew that but I thought I'd introduce myself anyway.' Ginny took her hand, grinning broadly.

'Ginny Weasley - and please don't worry, I won't be fucking off to run a joke shop anytime soon.'

Ronaid laughed, 'I'm glad. I'll show you around in a mo, we just needed to chat to this traitor here about a witness he interviewed earlier.' She gestured to Ron with her head. Ginny didn't look towards her brother though, instead, she looked to Ronaid's left, not expecting to meet a pair of bright green eyes head-on.

Bloody hell they were mesmerising.

She licked her lips, mouth dry all of a sudden. There was something there, she thought, lurking behind that vivid colour. He broke contact first though before she could work out what it was she was seeing, and he instead looked her up and down as if he were assessing her - mentally checking off whatever he needed to check off before his eyes locked on to hers again. He looked tired. No, exhausted. He still looked incredibly handsome in spite of this. She felt like she was drowning in the depths of his striking gaze, and she could linger in there forever.

The couple of seconds that passed felt like they lasted an eternity. It was only the sound of a door slamming somewhere down the hall that snapped Ginny out of her stupor. She felt awfully flustered. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and held out a hand, offering it to him in the same way she had to Ronaid. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, tinged with red. She cleared her throat and smiled, in the most professional manner she could manage - she didn't want to come across as just another star-struck fangirl.

'Ginny Weasley. It's nice to meet you.' She said simply. Ginny watched his face intently, but saw no indication of any emotion at all. She refused to let her smile falter however. He paused for a moment, before he raised his hand and shook hers briefly.

'Harry Potter. You'll be working on my team?' He said with a questioning look on his face.

'As far as I know, I will be.' She laughed lightly, shuffling her feet subconsciously. She didn't notice Ronaid looking at her with a raised eyebrow again.

Harry nodded at her and ran a hand through his hair, 'Great. I'll see you at the briefing then.' his lips quirked into an almost, but not quite smile, and Ginny couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment, though she didn't know why.

Harry turned to Ron, who pushed himself off the wall quickly when he realised that the focus had switched to him again. Harry gestured to the break room door.

'A word?' He disappeared through the door without waiting for an answer, his scarlet robes whipping behind him.

Ron's expression was one of exasperation, 'Was that a question or a statement?' He shouted through the door, words dripping with sarcasm.

'Good luck with her Mackinnon, you'll need it!' He joked, he paled when he caught sight of Ginny's Molly-Esque glare.

'I think you'll find the only one around here needing any luck is Potter, poor sod. I couldn't imagine having to put up with you for the duration of a prolonged conversation.' Ronaid shuddered theatrically and Ginny found herself laughing.

'Oh haha, aren't you just hysterical,' Ron shook his head, smirking despite himself, 'I'll see you at the Burrow tonight. Mum's cooking up a "welcome home" feast, Merlin I'm drooling already. Have a good first day.' He added kindly as he too disappeared through the door to the break room, shutting the door behind him with a flick of his wand.

Ginny stared after him, eyes glued to the shut door, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Pictures of a tired face and haunted eyes flitted in front of her vision, all while a desolate voice rung in her ears.

'Oi, you planning on staring a hole into that wall Weasley?' Ronaid inquired, a knowing look on her face.

'No. No, I'll let you know if I ever do though. That'd be a pretty cool trick to have up my sleeve.' Ginny said, snapping herself out of her trance

'It would indeed,' her accent lilting in amusement, 'c'mon, I'll show you round, introduce you to a few people who you'll be seeing a lot of from now on.'

Ginny nodded and they set off. Mackinnon was, Ginny decided, an extremely likeable person. Her quippy and dry sense of humour, as well as her bubbly personality, acted like a magnet. She had the ability to draw people in with an effortless grace. She radiated confidence and Ginny found herself, as the tour continued and she met more and more of her co-workers, feeling as if she had worked in the Auror office for her whole career. She felt like she belonged, something she had never really come to feel in America in MACUSA's Auror department.

The pair eventually made their way around the entire floor of Magical Law Enforcement, finding themselves back at the maze of cubicles. Ronaid guided Ginny through them, navigating the way to her own desk. Name plaques were on the outside of each space, each engraved onto a bronze metal. Ronaid waved Ginny into a cubicle and conjured an extra chair on the opposite side of the desk as she sat down. Ginny had a quick peek at who Mackinnon's desk neighbours were, and she saw that Auror Jonah Cloves was in her right and Auror Ailsa Howards was on her left. Ginny sat on the soft plush chair and groaned in relief. She closed her eyes in bliss as the weight was taken off of her feat. She was done in. The thought of doing anything but having a nap killed her. However, she had to concede that falling asleep on her first day of work wouldn't bode well for her at all.

In a bid to distract her clouded mind and make her heavy eyelids not quite so heavy, Ginny had a look round her colleague's small workspace. Fairy lights were strung up on the walls with muggle polaroid's clipped on them - some showed Ronaid with a group of girls dressed rather strangely in front of a large stage. Another showed Ronaid with a younger boy who looked remarkably like her. One of the framed photos on her desk showed her shaking hands with Kingsley Shacklebolt as he handed her a certificate and a badge after doing so and then the photo went back to the start of the loop again. Ronaid saw Ginny looking.

'A good day that was. That was when I finished my training and was cleared to be in the field. My mum was ecstatic. She's a muggle you see and she always wanted to be a police officer, so she was thrilled that I was able to do the Wizarding equivalent.' She smiled fondly and carefully re-positioned the frame.

'Where's this?' Ginny asked curiously, pointing to the first polaroid she had noticed. 'It looks like you're in a muggle area.'

'I was. That was at a music festival a couple of years back - it's called T in the Park. That's me with a bunch of my muggle friends from primary school that I didn't lose touch with. We're all from a place called Dingwall, so we travelled down there in a hippie van, one of those trendy Volkswagens - I wouldn't recommend it, I got travel sick because the ride was so bumpy.' She snorted, a look of nostalgia blanketing her features.

'And that there is my brother Scott. He's five years younger than me, but the cheeky bugger had the audacity to grow taller than me.' She shook her head still grinning.

'How rude.' Ginny agreed with a giggle. Ronaid glanced at her watch and hummed in recognition of the time.

'We have about ten minutes until this case briefing, I need to fill out these forms by then - there's not many though so we're all good. Even if we are a couple of minutes late, Potter won't mind. Shafiq probably will, but let's be real - who gives a shit what she thinks,' She glanced up from her forms to see Ginny's intrigued look, 'don't you worry, I'll fill you in on all of the hot squad goss soon. But tell me a bit about you first, I barely know anything about you. I mean, I know all about your family, Ron's told me about them, but I hardly know anything about yourself.'

Ginny sighed as she thought about what to say.

_Best to keep it brief__._ Her mind's voice chirped helpfully.

'Well, there's not much to tell really. I was in Gryffindor, I played chaser on the Quidditch team. I took a year off after leaving Hogwarts to try out for the professional league, I even got some recruitment requests from quite a few clubs like the Harpies and the Falcons. But then I had a change of heart, and I decided that I wanted to do something… something that would make a difference. A good difference. So when I saw the training course in America advertised in the Prophet, I knew I had to go.'

And it was true. As much as she loved to play Quidditch, the professional game wasn't like the school matches or the family pick up games she had played before. Playing in the tryouts day in and day out had felt like a chore. It hadn't been fun. At all. It was after around a year of playing she had decided, in the summer of 1999, to head off to America for her Auror training. She could've stayed in the UK, but going abroad had felt like a grand adventure which she had no regrets about.

Ronaid nodded. 'Ron said you liked Quidditch, I hadn't realised how close you came to playing in the league though. We'll need to have a game one day - I was a decent enough keeper I'll have you know.' She said, wagging her finger at Ginny.

'I'm sure we could do that.'

'I'll hold you to it.'

The pair of them continued to blether as Mackinnon finished up her case report, and before she knew it - Ginny found herself sitting in the briefing room next to Ronaid as they waited for the rest of the team to arrive.

The briefing room seemed rather plain without everyone crammed into it. The charmed window showed a basic view of a field. Magical Maintenance had obviously decided that today was a cloudy day for the office. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable despite their solid appearance which came as a pleasant discovery to Ginny's aching muscles. Ginny watched on as her friend leant back on her chair and kicked her feet up onto the seat beside her. How she hadn't tipped backwards and cracked her head open yet was a question that was running around Ginny's head.

'You know, McGonagall has this great story about a kid who did what you're doing right now - except he smashed his head off the floor and died.'

'Ha. I've heard that one too many times to count. I swear I just keep doing it in subconscious rebellion.' Ronaid laughed.

The door smashed open and hurried footsteps could be heard. Ginny spun round in her chair to see the Auror Ranah Shafiq run in. Shafiq was panting softly, as though she had legged it from her desk to the room. She paused in her tracks as her eyes came to rest on Ginny and Ronaid. Slowly sitting down in a seat, her eyebrows narrowed.

'Where is everyone?' She spoke slowly and Ginny picked up on an accusatory tone, which confused her. Ronaid plastered a false smile on her face and sighed deeply.

'I have no idea. There's still a couple of minutes until they're due, relax - if you sit up any straighter you'll look more at home in a bloody art museum.' Shafiq glared daggers at Ronaid as she muttered something intelligible under her breath. It was then that she noticed Ginny.

'Oh, sorry - I didn't see you there. You're the new recruit, Ron's sister right?'

Ginny gritted her teeth. Constantly being referred to as just so-and-so's sister was something that had irritated her since she was in first year at Hogwarts. She knew that Shafiq only asked in order to place her, but it didn't stop the wave of annoyance from sweeping down over her.

'Yes, that's me. Ginny Weasley.' She barely managed to hide her frustration.

'Ginny, that's it. I'm not brilliant with names - sorry about that. It's nice to meet you though.' Shafiq sounded sincere enough, if not enthusiastic.

The door opened once again, though this time it was opened with less gusto. Four people traipsed into the room, snippets of their conversation floated over to Ginny's ears but made no sense. She supposed context was important. Hardly surprising having grown up around her pyro brothers (Fred and George in particular). Ginny had come to learn that often times, the context was better left unknown. The remaining members of the team all took seats around Ginny, Shafiq and Ronaid - only pausing in their conversation once they noticed Ginny's unfamiliar face amongst them.

A woman with a kind heart-shaped face and wispy shoulder-length brown hair smiled at Ginny kindly. The woman instantly reminded her of her mum.

'You must be Miss Weasley. I'll tell you, it's great to have you here - morale has been pretty low these past few months, you may have been able to tell. Hopefully a new face around here will help to change that.' The woman had a thick Welsh accent, yet she spoke in a motherly manner that only further highlighted the prominent similarity between her and Molly Weasley.

'I hope I can. And please, call me Ginny.' Ginny said while subtlety sitting up straighter in her chair, suddenly feeling as though a spotlight was on her.

'Of course. I'm Ailsa Howards-' she placed a hand on her chest and leant forward as she introduced herself, '-and this here is…' she trailed off, giving the slightly balding man on her left a pointed look.

'Oh right. Ross Macleod. A pleasure.' He said politely, his Scottish accent thicker than Ronaid's. His voice was rather gruff, throaty Ginny would say, and she found herself remembering Mad-Eye with a pang.

The other man who was half standing, half sitting against the back of a chair introduced himself as Thomas Jones. He sounded Irish, his accent sounding almost identical to Seamus'. He gave off an aura of aloofness and looked to be about the same age as Bill or Charlie.

And then lastly the tall girl who Ginny had heard mentioned a few times, Anna Fawley, made her acquaintances. Ginny recognised her willowy stature and long brown hair from the meeting a mere couple of hours ago. She appeared almost delicate, fragile Ginny would go as far to say - yet she had no indication as to why that would be.

So after many handshakes, shared smiles and jokes at her brother's expense - Ginny felt that the ice between her and her colleagues had indeed been broken.

All in good time as well, for the door opened once again and in walked Harry Potter himself.

Ginny was staring. She knew she was but she couldn't help it. Her eyes were drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Or a magnet to metal. A bee to a flower. The list went on and on.

A hush fell over the group as Harry stood in front of them all and cleared his throat, getting their attention with an ease Ginny was sure Flitwick would kill for. However unlike the chipper charms professor, Harry's expression was grim.

'Okay, since the meeting earlier on the forensics team on the site of the suspected murder has confirmed the identity of the witch. The victim's name was Alicia Spinnet.' At these words, Ginny couldn't stop the gasp that escaped through her lips. She wasn't the only one - Ronaid, Shafiq and Fawley all looked visibly affected by the news. Shafiq's hands flew up to her mouth as tears made her eyes shine. Ginny felt her chin wobble. Alicia? Why would anyone do this to Alicia of all people? She wouldn't hurt a fly! Ginny forced the growing lump in her throat down as she swallowed. Crying wouldn't help in catching her friend's killer.

Harry paused for a moment, 'I know a few of you will have known her, gone to school with her, but I need someone maybe not so personally connected to this case to inform Miss Spinnet's family - Howards, you have tact, would you be able to?'

Ailsa nodded, her lips pressed into a firm line.

'Thanks, I appreciate it. We'll be heading there by apparition. The coordinates are on the board in the apparition zone. When we get there, you know what to do but I'll go over it again. Jones, scout the perimeter the forensics team set up. Macleod and Fawley, ask around for any witnesses - be discreet though as they will most likely be muggles. The rest of us will investigate the scene itself. Everyone know your role?' He received a hoard of collective nods in response.

'Great. Let's head.' And with that he strode to the door, not checking to see if anyone was following him.

Ginny took a deep breath as she stood and headed for the door. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Ronaid's concerned face.

'Are you ok?'

Was she ok? No. She had just found out her friend had been killed, and it didn't take a genius to work out that it wasn't just a Freudian slip of a knife. But she had to be ok. See Alicia's body as nothing more than that - a body. She could cry later on. She had a job to do first.

Ginny smiled weakly at Ronaid, 'Yeah, yeah I'm ok. You?'

'I am too.'

They walked in silence to the apparition point.

* * *

A/N: Roniad is my personal favourite OC, I shouldn't have favourites but I just love writing her character. Her name is (Scottish) Gaelic for Rachel, and is pronounced Ron-itch.

So from this point onwards the chapters will be longer than the first two were, I hope that's ok. Just as with the first two chapters, I have checked through for any mistakes and I apologise if I missed any.

triggbc - Thank you! It seems that way indeed :)

Shian1998 - I'm glad you liked it! There are some major changes, though I'm planning on waiting for a little while before revealing them all :)

scrappy8 - Thank you so much!

Guest - Thank you, I hope you'll enjoy the later chapters as they come!


	4. Rollercoaster

'Bloody hell!'

It was an unfortunate choice of explanation from Jones - as in every way, shape and form, it was literal. For the scene that greeted them all as they apparated on site appeared as though it was from one of those shitty muggle horror movies that Ginny had watched with Emma on their day's off.

There was blood. Everywhere. Ginny could feel the bile rise in her throat as she looked at the horrific sight in front of her. Knowing that the lines of blood that were oozing slowly off the pavement and down onto the road were from one of her friends didn't make it any easier to stomach.

The forensics team had set up their bleak white tent around Alicia's body as well as the containment and preservation spells that were used to prevent any evidence from being washed away by the charming English weather, or from being tainted in any way.

Ginny looked around the area. From a quick glance, it was evident that it was muggle. Cars were parked along the kerb further down the street and a small child's bike that had ridiculous-looking frilly bits on the handles had been abandoned in front of a well-kept garden. It was a nice place, quiet too, not really a place that one would normally associate with a brutal murder though Ginny considered.

Her colleagues disappeared to carry out their respective roles - some transfiguring their scarlet robes into police uniforms so no muggle would become suspicious when approached for a witness statement. Soon it was only herself, Ronaid, Shafiq and Harry left at the scene itself. Ginny swallowed hard. This was not exactly how she pictured her first case here going. Pictures of working a simple BE or tracking down a stolen kneazle flew through her head as she had packed up her belongings in her dingy little apartment in New York. She thought she would've been handed a basic case on her first day - a case consisting of anything but this.

Talk about being thrown in at the deep end.

Ginny ducked into the white tent after Ronaid and she heard Shafiq follow. There was a black sheet, like a tarpaulin, covering the body. It failed to cover the red stains surrounding the area though. Red contrasted starkly against the white walls of the charmed tent that was preserving the scene, and Ginny could feel her stomach churn quietly at the sight.

'I've just spoken to the forensics team. The mandatory charms have been set and they've ensured that contamination of the scene has been made impossible. We can proceed.' Ginny hasn't heard Harry enter the tent, but his voice coming from just behind her made her aware. She walked forwards, closer to Alicia's body now that she knew for sure she didn't risk compromising any evidence. Shafiq flicked her wand at the sheet. It disappeared, no longer covering the corpse.

Ginny took a moment after laying her eyes on the brutalised and mangled remains of the ex Gryffindor chaser. The star of pitch no longer shining.

It was a truly terrible sight.

Alicia's mouth was open in a silent scream, her eyes still wide in horror but glassy and dull. Unseeing. Pieces of fabric from the torn and tattered robes that were once on her were scattered around like an unsolved jigsaw. They were red now. They weren't originally. Ginny had to push down the urge to cover up the girl's naked upper body to help her have at least some dignity in death.

'I count 23 puncture wounds to the face, torso and thighs. No magical signature though.' Shafiq mused. She had crouched down at Alicia's head and she gently brushed a few brown, bloodstained locks of hair out of the eyes that were once so full of life.

'That means it wasn't the work of a cutting curse.' Ronaid spoke quietly walking around the tent, gaze focused on the ground.

'The wounds are too small and deep to be a cutting curse as well,' Ginny said, surprising herself at how steady her voice was, 'A cutting curse makes a longer cut depending on the force behind it. If it was a forceful charm, it would be long and deep - not short and deep. Like an incision, not a puncture.' This was something she remembered Lucy telling her and Emma during their training.

'I thought an incision from a cutting curse could be any length?' Shafiq's scepticism was obvious - it positively dripped off of her words. Ginny took a deep breath and focused her serious gaze on her colleague.

'No, it can't. The smallest it can be is about 8 centimetres. Because it's dark magic, it was designed to inflict severe damage on the victim. So the curse creates a large wound, it can't be as small as these-'

' - And dark magic always leaves a trace.' Ronaid interrupted, her eyes lit up in the realisation of what Ginny was saying.

'The wounds look like the work of a knife. A muggle knife, it wasn't enchanted. The space between them and the differing depths of each puncture makes it seem to me like it was a frenzied attack. Ruthless in every sense of the word.' Harry said flatly. Ginny turned her head an inch to the right to see him studying the body. His brow was furrowed in concentration and his arms were folded over his chest. The glow from the afternoon sun filled the tent, it streamed in from the slits in the doorway, reflecting off of the lenses of his glasses. The fluttering in Ginny's stomach returned tenfold, but she couldn't work out if they were from the view of the tall, dark man next to her or from the sight of her dead friend.

The former sounded better.

'Right then,' Shafiq sighed as she stood, 'Does this mean we're looking for some crazed muggle who just so happened to attack the one witch in the area for miles?' She scoffed while fixing Harry with a look that screamed, "do you honestly think that's what happened?"

'No we are not m'dear.' The chipper voice of Macleod reached Ginny's ears just as he stepped into the tent with Fawley in tow. His smile faltered as he saw the mess in front of him, then returned a moment later.

'We've just spoken to a bunch of muggles who were home when it happened. They said they didn't hear a thing - not one scream.'

'Yeah,' Anna Fawley nodded and looked from Macleod to the rest of them, 'One guy even said it was "eerily quiet" last night.' She made her voice gruffer as she imitated the muggle.

'A silencing charm then?' Ginny suggested as her fingers curled over her lips in thought.

'My thoughts exactly red-' Ginny scowled at him, 'I believe our suspect put up a silencing charm and took it down prematurely. Everyone we questioned reported hearing a loud bang a couple of minutes after midnight.'

'Apparation.' Shafiq murmured.

'Must be. It wouldn't just be a car backfiring, that's too coincidental and the muggles you two spoke to would have said something about the headlights.' Ronaid inclined her head to Shafiq slightly. Ginny thought she was trying to say she agreed with Shafiq in the most detached way she could. Smart.

'See the way her body is positioned? It's highly likely she was attacked from the front after turning on the spot. There's a very faint swirling, multicoloured stain just by her foot and on her shoe that looks like a fuel of some sort, maybe petrol - which doesn't add up right now, but we can ask Jones if there's been a spill somewhere down the road that she might've stepped in by accident. I think she spun on her heel and the front of her shoes skimmed the pavement, thus the mark being in the shape of a semicircle. The attacker probably tried to sneak up on her but Alicia heard them approaching and tried to defend herself. Her wrists are red and have scratches running up them. The attacker must have held her wrists while she struggled - thus the scratches - then tied them. The red abrasions I'm guessing are from a muggle cable tie or something like it due to the cuts on the insides of her wrist. The plastic would have cut into her skin while she attempted to fight back or defend herself.' Said Harry lowly. He hadn't looked up at them once as he spoke, his thoughtful gaze had been focused on the pavement. It seemed like he was thinking out loud.

Silence ensued after he had finished monologuing. It only lasted for a couple of seconds, but to Ginny, it felt like an eternity.

_You know, There's a reason he's known as one of the best._ The stupid little voice inside her head chirped at her, but Ginny couldn't help but stare at him in awe. He had deduced all of that in what seemed like the snap of the fingers and had done it with ease. The butterflies returned. Again. She only realised she had been staring at him when Ronaid cleared her throat pointedly.

'Ok…' Fawley was the first to respond, 'that's all well and good Harry, but it was raining here last night. Wouldn't the petrol have been washed away? That's if it is petrol.''

'No. Water and petrol don't mix and it would take more than one night of rain to clear it.' He responded bluntly without looking up.

'Fair enough. Then why has all the blood not been washed away by the rain?'

'Lots of it has. The rain carried some of it to the drain there-' he gestured haphazardly to the drain on the road, '-but the forensics team arrived a couple of hours after the incident and preserved the scene, therefore stopping more of it from being washed away. The puddles nearer her head aren't on a slope so didn't have anywhere to run.'

'That figures. Aren't you meant to be an Auror, Fawley? A two-year-old could have figured that out.' Said Ronaid blithely.

Approaching footsteps could be heard. Ginny peered around Fawley - she was too tall to see over even when Ginny stood on her tippy-toes, much to her dismay. Thomas Jones stepped into the tent, his eyes roving around taking in the scene. He smiled.

'Guess I'm late to the party,' he sauntered further into the tent, 'I did as you said boss man, scouted the given perimeter. I went to the edge on the Eastside and saw a small newsagents on the other side of the road. There's a camera outside it. If we get a look at the footage we may get a lead.' Harry had looked up as he entered and nodded at Jones, his lips lifting into the barest trace of a smile - and Ginny felt her heart lifting too. They could have a lead.

'Was there any trace of any petrol spills anywhere?' Shafiq asked.

'Indeed there was. There was one at the end of the road just next to a small back alley.'

At this Fawley's jaw clenched, no doubt in annoyance that Harry had been right and she now appeared rather stupid in hindsight for questioning his judgment that was never off Ginny reasoned.

Harry gestured to them all to follow him out of the tent. Ginny did so, sticking behind him. His robes clipped around his heels as he went, the scarlet material giving off the impression that it was a wave - Ginny's eyes were glued to him.

'Good work everyone. We'll head and meet Howard's at the office, go over what we've found.'

His eyes swept over the squad and landed right on Ginny. She suddenly found it very hard to breathe. His hair was falling into his eyes. He made no move to brush it away. The sound of her colleagues apparating away barely reached her ears. His eyes were like a net - she was entangled.

He disappeared with a near-silent pop. Ginny's eyes lingered on the spot where he had been.

xXx

Ginny grinned broadly and inhaled heavily, breathing in the fresh, meadowy aroma of the Burrow. She had missed this. Her feet sunk slightly into the damp grass as she strolled up the garden to the house. Her mother and Ron were bound to have spread the news of her return, her mother, in particular, was prone to gossiping.

It had been what felt like decades since she had last tasted her mum's cooking - far too long in other words. And she missed having stupid and meaningless conversations with her brothers.

But the time had finally come. She was back, back for good. She wouldn't have to go for months upon months of not seeing any of her loved ones.

Fond memories of running back to the house in muddy wellies flashed in front of her eyes as she approached the wooden kitchen door. She ran her fingers over the knotted wood fondly before knocking a stupid rhythm, creating hollow thudding noises.

She didn't have to wait long, for the door was positively thrown open and a blur of red hair obscured Ginny's vision before she could have said "Quaffle".

'Oh, Ginny! You're home - my baby's home!' Her mother pulled back and held onto Ginny's shoulders with a death grip. She stared at Ginny, analysing her from top to toe, gathering information from a mere look in a way that only a mother could.

'Hi mum.' Ginny half groaned. The hug had been bone-crushing.

'It's great to see you back home.' Her father appeared at her side from seemingly nowhere and drew her into a hug too, though it wasn't anywhere near as intense as her mum's had been.

'Dad, I missed you. Both of you.' Ginny beamed at her parents after stepping back from her dad. She slid her bag off of her shoulder onto the floor, causing her mother to tut to herself and banish her bag up to her room.

'Your brothers will all be here, except for Charlie. That boy and his dragons.' Mrs Weasley shook her head muttering intelligibly under her breath as she rushed over to the numerous pots and pans that were sizzling away on hobs.

'That smells amazing mum.'

'I'm glad. I've got a lamb on the go seeing as this is a special occasion, and I've made apple pie for pudding.'

'I love lamb.' Ginny said, feeling the drool build up in her mouth.

'I know sweetheart.'

Ginny sat at the table, twirling a fork unconsciously in her fingers as she caught up with her mum. They were interrupted by the door swinging open.

'Evening Weasley's. The favourite is here!' Ginny snorted as George skipped into the kitchen, kissing his mother on the cheek before turning around and seeing Ginny at the table.

'Well, well - who do we have here?' A look of pure exaggerated confusion graced his features. He leaned towards her, his nose inches from hers.

'Charlie?'

She smacked his arm.

'Aren't you hilarious. Remind me which one you are again? Wait… it's Ron right?'

'That's low.'

'Is it now?

'It's is.'

There was silence for a moment, then they shared grins of equal size.

'I missed you.'

'I'd miss me too. It's understandable- ouch! Ok, ok. I missed you too Gin.'

Bill, Percy and Ron all arrived within minutes of each other. Fleur Delacour was hanging off of Bill's arm with her other hand grasping the handle of a buggy. A small blonde baby slept inside it, and though Ginny had already met little Victoire, she hadn't seen the baby in months.

Percy's wife Audrey accompanied him. Both husband and wife were just as lovingly irritating as usual. That left Ron, who showed up hand-in-hand with his fiancé Hermione. Ginny had a soft spot for the bushy-haired girl. They had been friends throughout her time at Hogwarts, not best friends granted, but close all the same. She greeted her brothers and sisters-in-law with hugs and kisses on the cheek and they made themselves comfortable around the table. Ron on Ginny's left and her mum on her right. Trays and bowls filled with food were levitated onto the table. They settled down in the middle, stretching down the length of it.

'...and then Lucy handed me the portkey and wished me luck. Emma was upset that I decided to leave, but she understood why I made this decision.'

'And that was that?' Said George through a mouth full of potatoes.

'Yes, that was that.' Ginny spoke condescendingly, 'I really don't know what you were expecting. It's not all that exciting.'

'Fair enough. Can't blame a bloke for holding out hope for a story full of action and explosions and shit.'

Ginny threw a green bean at his head.

'George, where's Angelina?' Mrs Weasley asked gently as she spooned more broccoli onto Bill's plate. George rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and shrugged.

'I don't know to be honest. She flooed me about half an hour before I came here and said that she wouldn't be able to come tonight. I asked if everything was ok and she said she didn't know yet. I offered to floo through but she was adamant I come and welcome you home.' He spoke the last part to Ginny. George sounded painfully unsure as he talked, which wasn't like himself at all.

Ginny's heart sunk. She could feel her eyes flooding and she blinked furiously to try and stem the tears. She knew exactly why Angelina wasn't with them.

'I'm sure she's ok George.' Hermione placated, he merely shrugged in response.

'I don't know. She seemed really upset but she refused to let me go over and see her.'

He sighed.

'It's probably nothing. I might just be overreacting.'

'Ginny? Are you ok?'

Ron's concerned explanation drew the attention of the table onto her. Some stray tears had escaped their confines and had begun their trek down her cheeks.

'Ginny? What's wrong?' Her dad's worried query forced her to look up. She took several deep breaths in through her nose. She had to tell them. She couldn't keep it quiet. Her name would be printed in the morning issue of the Daily Prophet, so she wasn't compromising the investigation in any way.

'I know why Angelina was so upset.' Her words wobbled slightly, which only succeeded in worsening those looks of concern. She barely ever cried. Everyone seemed to realise that now was not the time for interruptions though.

'I was put on a new case at work today-' From the corner of her eye she could see Ron's eyebrows narrow. She knew he had an inkling, if not a nearly confirmed suspicion, about what she was going on to say.

'I wasn't really supposed to be working a big case. I've been partnered with an Auror called Ronaid Mackinnon. I think Robards meant for me to hop on a basic job with her to start with, but she was called on by one of the Senior Aurors to work on a big case - so that meant that I was put on that case alongside her.' She paused, her words choking up. She had to say it.

'There was a murder down in Newquay.'

George gasped and shook his head in denial. His lips mouthed the soundless word "no". Ron too seemed to understand the implications of her words. His eyes were shut and his head bowed, making it seem like he was in pain. He was.

'What? What's happened?' Mrs Weasley sounded terrified after seeing the reactions of her children.

'It's Alicia. She's gone.'

Dinner had been a subdued affair after that conversation. Ginny had to admit that there had been a heavy dampener on the apple pie. George had left soon after to go and find Angelina and Bill and Fleur along with Percy and Audrey and taken that as their queue to leave too. Everyone left had migrated to the sitting room and converged around the fire.

'I knew it was going to be a big case considering that it's him who's leading it. I just didn't… didn't think it would be Alicia.' Ron trailed off, speaking into the fire. He and Hermione entwined on one armchair.

'Are you sure you're ready for something on this scale? You're only just out of training after all.' His eyes widened as he realised how his words could be interpreted, 'I'm not saying you're bad, I'm just saying that it's a lot to take in straight away. I thought you'd be broken in gently.'

'It's ok, I know what you meant.' She said truthfully. Ginny was sitting on the sofa with her back against her mum. She needed one of her hugs.

'I don't know. I guess we'll see if I am or not.'

'I can delay my leaving date-'

'No you can't. You don't need to do that.'

'I can try. I'll try and persuade Robards to put me on the case instead.'

'I appreciate what you're trying to do… but you know as well as I do that it's not possible. If it gets too much, I'll take myself off it.' She knew as she said it though that she would never do that, however, her words seemed to soothe Ron and her parents in particular. Only a small shred of guilt settled in her gut.

The four Weasleys and soon to be Weasley sat together in a silence that was broken by Hermione.

'Who's leading the case?'

'What?' Ron looked at her stupidly.

'I said, who's leading the case? You basically said yourself that this guy is a big deal in the department.'

'Right, so I did.'

'It's Harry Potter.' Ginny piped up before her brother could. Hermione's eyes widened comically, as did her mother's. Her father nodded his approval.

'I would expect as much. By putting him on the case they're saying to everyone, "this isn't a hoax, but don't worry. We're taking this seriously." He's a good man, at least we know he'll get the job done with the help of his team.' Mr Weasley smiled proudly at his daughter.

'He's bloody brilliant at his job. You'll get this solved soon Gin, everything will work out.' Ginny couldn't even motivate herself to glare at Ron for the use of the horrid nickname - it was a testament to how badly she was doubting herself. She didn't normally do this, but Alicia's death had shaken her. She was new on the scene, Merlin she had only just finished the training! What was Robards thinking?

That was the thought that haunted her and danced around her head as she lay in her bed that night.

_Think of something else. Anything else. __She chanted to herself over and over again._

So she did. She could feel her thoughts slowly descending into cloudy and jumbled mush.

She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side. The darkness being overtaken by images of gently rippling scarlet robes and black tousled hair that was a sexy mess. Green eyes. Tired eyes. Eyes that had seen too much. Full lips that were slowly, tantalisingly, making their way to hers. Slightly parted. Rosy. Perfect. Chapped and rough against hers. Euphoria.

Ginny's eyes snapped open.

_Where the fuck did that come from?_

xXx

She was early to work for what was the first time ever. It was a notable occasion, though it wouldn't be a regular occurrence. Ginny strolled through the rows of cubicles, stopping briefly by Ronaid's to see if she was in, though she was only met by an angry aeroplane memo to the head and an empty desk.

The team had come back to the office yesterday and had rejoined Ailsa Howard's, who had informed Alicia's family of the news. Ranah Shafiq had sent up a documentational request to the muggle liaison office, and Ginny's father had set them up with two false muggle ID's that identified them as repair workers. The plan was to send two of the team to the newsagents Jones had spotted and they would claim they were there to "fix" the shops faulty CCTV camera. From there they'd copy the footage from the night of Alicia's murder.

They were having a team meeting at 9, that was about two hours away. Early was probably an understatement.

She sat in her cubicle. Robards had assigned her it yesterday before she left to go home. She was in between two Aurors called Jonah Cloves and Owen Savage, she knew Ron was friendly with them so she guessed they must be nice.

Her fiery hair was pulled up into a ponytail, one that was neater than usual. It fell over her shoulder like a waterfall and some stray baby hairs tickled the sides of her face. She licked her finger and slicked them back impatiently. She had to look presentable. Ginny was determined to make a good first impression.

Well - second impression. She thought her first had gone rather well.

After spending an hour rifling through files of past murders of a similar nature to Alicia's - of which there were a fair few - she decided to head to the break room early. She strolled down the corridor, brightly greeting her co-workers and receiving the odd "morning" back. Ginny leaned against the break room door and dipped in. She had only made it a couple of steps into the room before she realised she wasn't alone.

She really shouldn't have been surprised.

Harry sat at the table, head held in his hand. He looked done in. His robes, like yesterday, were crumpled and his hair was the usual untamed mess that it always was. His glasses had slipped down his nose and were perched on the end of it as his eyes flitted back and forth over the page lying in front of him.

He was perfect.

He hadn't noticed her yet. Ginny only spent a couple of seconds studying him. She took a deep breath and forced her back to go as straight as it possibly could. She pulled out the chair opposite him and smiled.

'Morning. You're here early?' She said. She instilled a friendly tone into her words, but couldn't stop the slight pry. He looked up at her and her it felt as though she was having palpitations.

'Yeah, I am I guess. So are you.' He sounded tired. The bags under his eyes seemed darker today.

'Good solve. I wanted to try and make a good second impression by being here sharp. Shows I'm eager.'

'Second impression?'

Ginny nodded with a grin, 'Uh-huh. Indeed.' His lips quirked as though he was suppressing a smirk. They were silent for a moment.

'You did a good job yesterday.' Ginny could feel the heat run to her cheeks at his words. He said it quietly, softly, just as he said everything else.

'Thanks. You did too.' She sounded bashful and she knew it, but seeing his lips finally rise into a small smile made her feel warm. Cosy.

The silence returned. Ginny gathered he wasn't a talker - she'd be a pretty shitty Auror if she couldn't figure that much out. She liked talking to him, so she scrambled for a way to continue the conversation, all the while trying not to stare at him or the scar she could see through the mess of hair.

'Tea?'

Merlin's balls she was shit at this. It was as if all of her people skills had gone down the drain.

What was this man doing to her?

'Sure.'

She stood and approached the counter in the corner of the room where the kettle was. She popped the tea bags into the mugs and poured the water in, which she boiled with a tap of her wand, peering briefly over her shoulder to see Harry watching her. Blushing again, she put in a drop of milk and paused.

'Sugar?'

'No thanks.'

She rejoined him at the table and handed him a steaming mug. She took a sip out of her own, slurping loudly, and she saw him quirk an eyebrow at her in response. She shrugged and slurped again.

'Is it ok? My mum would have an aneurysm if she found out I make a shit cuppa.'

Harry met her eyes with his emerald stare, 'We wouldn't want that to happen. It's good, better than the ones I make.'

'I'm glad to hear it.'

She didn't know what it was about him that made her feel the way she did right now. Well no. That was a lie. She did. He was bloody gorgeous. But there was something else there that she couldn't quite pinpoint. There was something about him, Harry Potter. Something that lurked behind that tired expression. Something that was hidden beneath many layers of which Ginny was desperate to pull back.

He just seemed… sad. For lack of a better word. He wasn't at all what she had expected. Though to be honest, she wasn't sure what she had expected. A cocky, narcissistic dickhead with an ego so large that it would rival even that of Gilderoy Lockhart? No. A happy, normal guy who was great at his job and had a regular-sized ego? That sounded more accurate.

But Harry wasn't a normal bloke, not like anyone else Ginny had ever met. Sure, she had only met him a day ago - but it had been a very telling day.

Then there was also Ron's cryptic reasoning to remember. What had he said? He hadn't wanted her to be "disappointed" by the reality. He hadn't wanted her eleven-year-old self's fantasy to be a lie basically.

She wasn't disappointed at all. How could she be? She was sitting, drinking tea with her hero. With her fellow Auror. And it was nice.

She just wished he'd talk a little bit more.

They sat together sipping their tea for another half hour and were soon joined by the rest of the team arriving. They moved through to the empty briefing room, Ginny walking by Harry's shoulder, and they all went over what they had found yesterday again.

Harry was standing at the front of the room in front of a large board with photos of evidence from the scene pinned to it - there weren't many. The rest of them were scattered around the room, Ginny next to Ronaid who had decided that the desk in front of her would be a suitable footrest.

'Who are we sending out today? The guys upstairs only sent us two false ID's.' said Shafiq while she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. She sounded irritated.

'Because sending us all in wouldn't be suspicious at all.' Ronaid murmured out of the corner of her mouth. Ginny wasn't sure if she was merely talking to herself or if she was expecting a response. She settled for letting a tiny smirk grace her features.

'I think Harry should go, for one. He's good with all that muggle mumbo-jumbo.' Said Macleod. Everyone nodded their agreement.

'That's fine with me.' Harry nodded too.

'Why don't you do it, Ross?' Ailsa asked Macleod, 'You're Muggleborn so surely you know all that mumbo-jumbo too?'

'I can't. I'm leaving early today to go to my Aunt's funeral.'

'Shit, I'm sorry mate.' Jones clapped a hand on Macleod's shoulder.

'Well, what about Ginny?' Ronaid suggested after a moment's pause.

'What about Ginny?' Ginny said slowly.

'You lived in the muggle part of Manhattan for four years, you must know a few things. And you identified that it wasn't a cutting curse that was used. You know your stuff, you'll be fine-' She leaned in closer and whispered so only Ginny could hear, '- and you'll be in good hands.' She winked.

Ginny's jaw dropped slightly as she turned in her seat to look at Ronaid's sly smile.

'Ok, you're all free to go.' Harry said and the sounds of chairs scraping back filled the room.

'Ginny-' she stopped and turned to face him, '- could you meet me back here in say… an hour?'

'Yeah, sure thing. I'll see you later.' She left and headed for the door, noticing Shafiq out of the corner of her eye lingering in the corner of the room.

What was she up to?

Her curiosity got the better of her. Ginny paused on the other side of the door, she summoned a file from her desk and leaned against the wall, pretending to read so she didn't look suspicious. She turned her ear towards the crack in the door.

'What the hell do you think you're doing Harry?' Shafiq's accusatory voice had no problems reaching Ginny's ears.

'Leave it Ranah.'

'No, I won't leave it. I don't know what the fuck Robards was thinking putting a trainee on the case-'

'She's not a trainee. She's just as qualified as you or I am.'

'Cut the bullshit. This is one of the most serious cases we've had since the war, why is a newly appointed Auror on the case when, if you'd notice, everyone else on it has a thing called experience?'

Ginny's heart was thumping loudly in her chest. She didn't know where this was coming from. She hadn't received any hints from Shafiq that she wasn't welcomed on the team. None whatsoever.

'She has a thing called experience too. Where do you think she was during the war? She was one of the students who helped lead the Hogwarts resistance. She fought in the battle. She's had the same four years of training that you had too. Don't ever just assume what's happened in a person's past and judge whether or not that deems them suitable enough to be here.' It was the first time Ginny had heard Harry's voice change from his soft and quiet tone. His words were sharp and sounded as though they were hitting Shafiq like bullets.

'How do you know she did those things?'

'What?'

'How do you know? She could've just been lying on her application for all you know.'

'I know because I saw her there that night.'

Ginny's breath caught in her chest. She remembered that night like it had happened yesterday. The running. The fighting. The fear of not knowing if her family were still alive. She remembered duelling out on the grounds and seeing him there fighting alongside Remus and Tonks. And then by himself. She remembered Voldemort claiming victory and his limp, lifeless body. And she remembered that final duel in all its glory, the final shot that seemed to go in slow motion before it found its target and Tom Riddle fell to the ground. Dead.

She didn't realise he had even noticed her presence. A small and freckly sixteen-year-old. Why would he?

'My point still stands and you know it. You appointed me assistant command on this case and that means it's my job to point out to you the things you are unwilling to see. Even Anna agrees with me! She said herself that having Weasley on the case was probably going to wind up as a mistake.

'I've told you to leave it. If you don't trust Robards' judgment then that's on you, and if you don't trust mine then I'll have no choice but to kick you off the team. If you can't trust either myself or any of your fellow Aurors on this case - that includes Ginny and Ronaid - then you'll become a liability, and we can't have that. That goes for Anna too and anyone else who shares your opinion.'

Both of them were silent for a good minute. Ginny waited and had to try and remember to breathe, her knuckles white around the file.

'I don't know what it is about her that's making you turn a blind eye, but I'll shut up about it now. I've been your friend for years, Harry. I'm just trying to help. Don't say I didn't warn you.' She sounded defeated, but Ginny couldn't dwell on it as she heard footsteps approaching the door. She quickly ducked away back into the maze of cubicles before Shafiq could see her.

She walked aimlessly. So many thoughts were buzzing around her head it was making her dizzy. Her feet carried her to Ronaid's cubicle. They needed to talk. She raised a fist and rapped on the thin wall a couple of times, Ronaid twirled her chair around and beamed at her.

'What took you? I thought you'd be high-tailing it here all red and embarrassed demanding answers - what's wrong?' Her jovial tone changed in an instant after she saw the look on Ginny's face. Ginny conjured a chair and sat down heavily, repeating what she had heard whilst eavesdropping - although she kept the part about Harry remembering her to herself. Ronaid didn't look remotely surprised.

'What you need to understand Ginny, is that Ranah Shafiq is a bitch. Simple as. She'll do whatever she can to claw her way into authority's pants - whether that be Robards' or Proudfoot's or Dawlish's or Harry's.'

'What does that have to do with me?'

'Ginny - it has fuck all to do with you. Her plan was probably to go running to Harry and start to cry all over him-' Ronaid clutched her heart and held her head like a damsel in distress. She put on a heavy English accent and swooned, 'Oh Harry. I just want to help you… all she wants is your money and your titles. She's inept, she's putting the case in danger and… Harry… darling… I simply cannot sit back and watch it happen.' She finished by slumping back in her chair dramatically.

Ginny let out an exasperated bark of laughter, 'Are you quite finished? Is there an entourage or…?'

Ronaid smiled ruefully and held up her hands, 'That was it I'm afraid.'

'So she's a flirt?'

'Basically, yes.'

'And what - she thinks you're a snob?'

'Nailed it in one… but you know what, I am surprised that Anna said that. Said Ronaid slowly in thought.

'Oh well. There'll always be someone out there who hates others for a petty reason.' Ginny shrugged and patted Ronaid lightly on the shoulder before she left, 'I'll see you later.'

xXx

'This wouldn't have been my first choice, but I think the beige really brings out my eyes.' Ginny twirled around with her hands in her pockets, showing off the boiler suit she was sporting. There was a patch on the breast pocket that read "Newquay Electricals" and most importantly she wasn't the only one pulling off the look.

'It looks good.' Harry offered as they walked side by side towards the newsagents.

They had met in the briefing room and discussed what their play would be. They'd enter together and convince the people there that they were there to fix the CCTV camera circuits, but it could only be done through the computer it was linked to. If the muggles showed any degree suspicion, they would use their fake ID's and some charm. Using magic would be the last resort.

A couple of children on bikes zoomed past them, one toppling precariously to the side as they went when he suddenly straightened up just before he fell. Ginny saw Harry pocket his wand surreptitiously, his eyes downcast, and she felt a strong wave of affection sweep through her. She could see the small newsagents at the bottom of the street approaching quickly but she wished it would slow down. She liked spending time with him.

'Any plans for tonight?' Ginny inquired casually.

'No, just work. You?' Said Harry quietly.

'Yeah, um, just dinner with my family.'

'Sounds nice.' He sounded sincere.

'Yeah. So what time does your shift end?'

'Whenever I want it to.'

'Never then? I hate to break it to you but you're a bit of a workaholic. I've only known you for two days and I've already deduced that much.' She only realised what she had said after it came out. She groaned mentally, she was getting way too comfortable too quickly. He probably thought she was just another fan.

Was she?

'It ends sometimes.' He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as he mumbled.

'I'd hope it would.' She smiled at him to establish that she was only teasing. He looked over at her and smiled back softly. He looked positively dashing, even in the atrocity that was the boiler suit.

'It's Ron's leaving bash at the Leakey in a few days. Are you going?'

'Yeah. I'll be there.'

'Great. I'm sort of obliged to go as his sister and whatnot but it sounds like it'll be good fun. At least there'll be alcohol - things could get interesting very quickly.' She smirked at the thought of seeing her normally collected and put together colleagues loosening up after some drinks. She knew she could handle her drink, so Ginny had no worries about excluding herself from that narrative. Optimism was her forte.

'Keep an eye out for Dawlish. One drink is all it takes to tip him over the edge.' His eyes were dulled from lack of sleep but Ginny was sure she could see a trace of a mischievous glint in them.

She laughed, 'I'll do just that. Thanks for the heads up.'

They were standing in front of the shabby little newsagents. Tattered newspaper headlines were dropping off of the wall and crates of bruised fruit lined the doorway. Ginny walked in and Harry followed. The small aisles were cramped and it was hard to move around the dingy little shop. Ginny approached the till and plastered what she hoped looked like a kind but firm expression on her face.

'Hi. We're from Newquay Electricals. We're here about your CCTV camera, someone informed us it was faulty.' She used her haughty business voice and received a blank stare from the spotty teenager sitting behind the counter.

'Alright. Go do your thing. The backroom is just over there.' He sounded completely uninterested as he flipped through a magazine. Even as he gestured to the door he didn't look up at the pair of them. Ginny shared a surprised look with Harry - they had expected more resistance. He shrugged and made his way towards the back room, Ginny on his heels. Her eyes widened as they found the muggle TV. On it was live images of the street outside.

'My Dad would love all of this - a bit obsessed with muggles he is-' she ran her fingertips along the top of the screen, leaving clean lines in the thick layer of dust.

'Arthur once asked me what the function of a rubber duck was.' Harry said as he tapped away at the security feed, making a copy of the footage. Ginny couldn't stop her eyebrows from raising in surprise.

'Oh - you know my dad?'

Harry hummed, 'Mhm.' He fell silent, the sound of his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he worked filled the room. Ginny stood by the door watching his back, waiting for him to elaborate, before she suddenly snapped back down to Earth.

He's a very private person, don't push it Weasley

'I… I got to know him quite well during the war. I got to know a lot of the Order quite well back then.'

Oh.

Ginny opened her mouth to speak. She did not have a bloody clue what to say but she had to say something in response to that right? He beat her to the chase though.

'Got it.' He stood, wiggling a muggle Pendrive between his fingers which Ginny knew contained what they had come for.

'Nice job.'

'We can ask him a few questions before we leave.' Said Harry, inclining his head towards the oblivious teen behind the till.

'Sounds good.'

Ginny stood in front of the counter. She cleared her throat loudly waiting expectantly for a response from the boy. She didn't get one. She cleared it again and tapped her fingernails on the stained surface, grimacing as an unknown sticky substance attached itself to her pinky. The teenager's eyes flicked up from the magazine briefly. He looked from Ginny to Harry then back to the magazine again.

'Did you fix it alright?' He grunted.

'It was one of the wires. The feed from the camera wasn't transmitting prop- yes, we fixed it.' Ginny sighed, there was no point in trying to elaborate on something she didn't understand.

'We were wondering if you saw anyone suspicious around here on Wednesday night?'

'What - are you actually the bobbies?'

'The bob…?' Ginny muttered to herself.

'No, no. Not the bobbies. All we wanted to do was find out who might have done this so that we can bill them the costs of the repairs - that way you won't have to pay.' Ginny knew Harry was talking complete shit, but he was bloody good at improvising.

'I was only having you on. Loosen those pants sparky.'

Ginny forced her patience to stay put. She could feel it slipping fast, 'Look…'

'David.'

'Look David - if you want to avoid a hefty sum, you're better off telling us anything you saw.'

The teen, David, scrunched his nose up in thought - he gasped lightly, seemingly remembering something.

'I'll tell you both-' he looked to the side and leaned in as though it were for dramatic effect. It was all very theatrical Ginny thought, 'there was a sketchy looking bloke in the shop earlier on in the day. Very rough looking, believe me.'

'Was he acting in a suspicious manner?' David nodded at Harry.

'Uh huh. He was shifty as hell. Kept looking 'round the place like he was being watched or something. He came in, bought a couple of things, and then tried to pay me with a massive gold coin - I thought he was foreign but when he spoke he had a scouse accent.' Ginny and Harry shared a look. The man must've been a wizard - trying to pay a muggle with a galleon was a classic move from someone who knew barely a thing about non-Wizard customs.

'What did he buy?'

'A packet of cable ties, some digestives and a Dairy Milk bar. Bit odd isn't it?'

'Could you describe what the man looked like?' Harry said. Ginny could feel the anticipation rising inside of her - how couldn't this man be their guy?

'He had brown hair, it was probably more grey actually now I think of it, and a missing front tooth. He had a bit of a lisp.'

'How tall was he?' Ginny asked, her calm composure remaining through her willpower only.

David whistled and held his hand up in the air, 'Massive like. Really tall. I'd say about 6 foot 5 roughly.'

'Ok, thank you for your time,' Said Ginny as she made to leave, she suddenly remembered they were meant to be muggle electrical people, 'The camera should be fine now.'

Harry and Ginny walked back down the street towards the small alleyway they apparated in when they arrived. Ginny was practically skipping.

'This is sounding promising.' She grinned at him and to her surprise, he grinned back. It was the first genuine smile she had seen on him instead of his usual small, shy ones. It made him positively glow. Ginny could feel her palms sweating in response, she sneakily rubbed them on her boiler suit when Harry wasn't looking.

'It is. We don't normally get a lead this good straight away. Don't let your hopes up too high just yet.' But Ginny couldn't help it - her hopes were climbing and were nearing the summit.

'We can start looking for anyone who matches this description when we get back. I'll get everyone on the team on it.'

'Great.'

They had reached the alley. Ginny was clutching her wand, ready to twist and leave for the Ministry, when she felt a hand grasp her wrist. She looked up and saw Harry looking at her seriously.

'You did really well today.'

If her smile could reach any higher, it would be in her eyes.

'You did too.'

Two cracks echoing round the tight, dark alley was the only trace they left behind.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I made up all that shite about cutting curses but hey - that's what fanfiction is for right?

Chapter five will be up at some point. I'm about halfway through writing it and I'll need to edit it too, so I won't make any promises about when the next update will be.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and/or followed this story, you're all amazing :)


	5. Conversations

It was the first time he had gone home in days. He had been at the office for the past several nights, falling asleep at his desk and waking up with his cheek stained from the inky parchment he'd used as a pillow. If he kept up the routine, the bags under his eyes would never go away - and he knew that, so that's why he was standing outside his front door now.

The house was small, more of a cottage really. Thick green woods surrounded it and worked in effectively hiding the area from any prying eyes. Ropes of ivy crawled up the side of the building, wiggling their way into the brickwork and arching around the red doorway.

It wasn't much. But was home.

Each corner of the garden held a memory. As did every inch of the house. Some were good, the best he had. Others not so great.

It was here, the small country cottage, that his godfather had taken him after he had escaped. _They_ had escaped, really. At a time when everything seemed bleak and grey, at a time when living through each day was a struggle - Sirius had been his saviour. And now he was gone, and Harry bore that title.

He hated it.

For six years now he had been drifting. Drifting from one day to the next. His so-called "destiny" had been fulfilled and now he felt… lost.

Everything and everyone of whom Harry loved was gone now, they'd all been gone for years.

Years.

The first eight years of his life had been hell. There was no other word for it. They had stripped him of his sense of self and built him back up on rocky foundations, foundations that would one day crack. Sirius had been the one to save him.

But Harry couldn't save him in return.

He shook his head, though he did so so softly that someone would have to squint to see the movement, and stepped into the hall. The door closed firmly behind him with a solid thud, rattling the lone few picture frames that hung on the sitting room wall. The photos in them displaying a laghing couple - the woman with red hair and the man with black.

He supposed he should get something to eat, though what exactly he wasn't sure. He appeared in the kitchen, opening the cupboards to see a lone packet of pasta which, he mused, he could throw together with the pesto and ham in the fridge. It wasn't exactly gourmet but it would do.

After the pasta boiled and the simple concoction had been made, Harry carried the pan through to the sitting room table. He flicked his wand, summoning a fork from the kitchen as he had forgotten to bring one through. Flicking it again, an already half-empty bottle of firewhiskey joined the utensil. He caught them easily and stabbed a dingy little piece of fusilli morosely in contempt silence.

It was around eleven at night when he finally retired to his bed. He closed his eyes and willed his exhausted mind to drift off into nothingness. Yet as usual - sleep evaded him. It was like he was chasing something he could never hope to catch. Sighing heavily, Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed. He didn't bother grabbing his glasses from the bedside table, a mistake he thought as he shuffled down to the sitting room blindly clutching the bannister. He collapsed unceremoniously onto the sofa and stretched out, the end of his legs falling over the armrest. Slipping his wand out of his pyjama pocket, he muttered an almost silent spell.

'Incendio.'

The fireplace erupted into flames. They danced and swayed in a sensual tango, filling the room with a pleasant orange glow - the heat washed over him and he could feel himself relaxing. He stared at the ceiling. The shadow from the light shade moving from side to side along with the fire. But then he turned his head slightly so he was staring straight into the depths of the flames.

They were a rich, bright orange that was speckled with red. Just like her hair.

Ginny Weasley.

Harry felt his heart pound just a little faster as his thoughts turned to her. He didn't know what it was about her, but she made him feel things. Things he had never felt before.

Ever.

Ron had mentioned her to him in passing over the years of course, but they were just that. Mentions.

He didn't know what to do. How could he act on something when he didn't know what exactly he was acting on? Play it by ear, go with the flow - that was an option. The only option really.

She was pretty. Beautiful in fact. The past couple of days he had caught himself watching the way her hair swished back and forth like a pendulum. He had lost himself in her chocolatey gaze a few times before he had snapped out of his reverie.

The flames reflected in his eyes as he lay there. And soon, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Harry felt the warm clutches of sleep take hold of him. Images of freckles and a kind smile paired with a flowery smell played in his mind's eye, and if anyone were there to see it, a rare smile graced his lips as he slept on unaware.

xXx

'... and so it's with great regret, believe me - _great_ regret, that I leave you all now after six fine years with you fine people. 'Cept Dawlish. You can fuck off.' Cheers and whistles were aroused by Ron's slurred but impactful speech nonetheless. Ginny grinned over the rim of her glass as she sat on in one of the booths at the back of the Leakey Cauldron.

Ron's leaving bash was in full swing. She had gotten what she wanted - her colleagues were making right fools of themselves as they drank themselves into oblivion. It really was a sight to behold. Her brother was standing on the bar counter, having clambered up there with the help of Proudfoot and Savage, and was now chugging down a bottle of what looked like goblin piss to the chants of 'chug, chug, chug,' from the people gathered around him.

He really was a fucking idiot.

'Wha - What are you doing all alone back here miss, hmm?' An overly joyous Ronaid slid into the seat next to her.

'Get some booze down that throat already won't you?' Ginny could barely understand her. She was slurring incomprehensibly and her Scottish accent sounded thicker than it normally was.

'I am drinking. Just an acceptable amount.'

'That's no fun. Get it down you. Jesus, my granny could drink that faster than you are and she's ninety-three!'

Ginny wiped away the line of beer that had trickled down from the corner of her mouth with a look of disbelief, 'I literally couldn't have drunk that any faster! I dread to think how your poor granny could have done it even quicker.'

Ronaid scoffed dramatically, 'Like it would be hard.'

'Try me.'

'Fine. I'll get the next round.' She shuffled out of the booth and weaved her way to the bar. Ginny watched her go, her eyes briefly sweeping over Shafiq, who was chatting animatedly with Ailsa and Jonah Cloves. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Her eyes searched for someone else though, someone who she hadn't seen all night.

'You're on Weasley.' Ronaid smirked evilly as she dropped a tall flaming glass in front of Ginny with a firm clunk. Her own drink sloshed over the side and dripped onto the wooden table. Ginny eyed her friend confidently - she knew that she could handle her drink. This would be a breeze.

Several drinks later, Ginny was pissed. Not quite as pissed as some of the others, but pissed nonetheless. Her head felt like a blanket of cotton wool was covering it and was making her head feel cloudy.

Was cotton wool just little clouds? Her eyes widened at the thought.

She was still sitting in the booth with Ronaid. She had gone out and socialised, had a few more drinks and conversations with some of the other Aurors of whom she didn't know quite so well yet, but she had returned to the cosy little space when she realised that she was struggling to remember which way was up and which was down. The blaring music coming from the wireless was ringing in her head and she was mildly aware of her foot tapping along to the beat. The song finished, and the next one began immediately after it. Across the table, Ronaid lit up.

'Ooh! It's the new Weird Sisters one, I love it!' Her words were slurred beyond recognition. She slid out of the booth, singing loudly and off-key as she melted into the crowd on the floor. Ginny watched her go, she wanted to join her friend but the one functioning part of her brain told her that if she attempted to do so, she'd end up as a formless heap on the floor. She lifted her glass of muggle cider to her mouth, the gulps echoing in her ears as she shut her eyes - her head tilted back.

'Is this seat taken?'

The strong but quiet voice only faintly registered in her brain.

'No no - please.' With an over-the-top sweep of her hand, she waved the stranger into the seat that Ronaid had just left.

'Did you watch for Dawlish?' His voice was rich and calm and it triggered something in Ginny's consciousness.

'Hmm?'

'The other day. You said you wanted to see your coworkers drunk. I said watch out for Dawlish.'

Fucking hell.

She looked up and the confusion fled her head in an instant. Harry sat opposite her, looking at her intently as though he were waiting for something.

Shit, he was.

'I did actually, that was some spot-on advice you gave.' She tried to sound sober, but she cringed inwardly when she all but shouted the words at him. Unnecessarily, might she add.

'Did you see him trying to balance those champagne flutes on his nose?' She giggled as she asked.

'I did. It ended well.' He said with the faintest trace of sarcasm lacing his naturally hushed tone.

'That it did. Almost as well as my brother's speech.'

'I thought he did a good job.'

'Did you not see him choke on that gigglewater at the end?'

Harry nodded, 'He did well not to choke on it earlier.'

Ginny stared at him.

'Good point.'

She watched as he nursed his bottle of Firewhiskey unflinchingly, as though it were simply water. Only someone with experience could handle the alcohol with such ease. Something in her gut twisted nervously as she watched the amber liquid slosh against the glass sides.

He was dressed in a green dress shirt, that complimented his eyes perfectly, and a simple pair of muggle black jeans. He looked dashingly handsome, she thought as he ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up seemingly without realising what he was doing.

'You look nice.' The admission came from Harry. He fiddled with the cuff of his sleeve but his gaze was firmly set on her. Ginny knew her cheeks could rival the colour of a tomato.

She tucked her loose hair behind her ear and chuckled, 'Thanks. You look beautiful.' She blurted without thinking.

He quirked an eyebrow, 'Beautiful?'

'Beautiful.' She confirmed, raising her glass in a toast as she spoke. He raised his too and they clicked together in cheers before Ginny drained her glass in one long gulp, savouring the fruity taste.

'How was your dinner?' He said as he leaned back further into the booth, trying to get comfortable on the hard fabric-covered seat.

'Normal, I guess. I had toad in the hole.'

'I meant your family dinner you told me about.'

_That made more sense_, the alcohol addled voice in her head piped up.

'That figures. It was great - my brother Bill and his wife, my sister in law, Fleur brought my niece Victoire over again. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm an aunt if I'm honest,' Ginny leaned forwards and exaggeratedly looked from side to side to make sure the coast was clear, waving Harry closer to her, whispering to his ear, 'They haven't told us yet, but I'm sure Fleur is pregnant again. That dinner's marked the third occasion she's turned down a glass of red I offered, and I thought the French loved their wine! Or is that the Italians?' She knew deep down she was waffling, but she couldn't stop the words from bubbling out of her.

Harry looked at her, baffled for a pause. He showed the barest trace of a smile and whispered back conspiratorially, 'I think it's both.'

'I knew it. What do you think? They're definitely covering something up. Ron suspects something too - he told me. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. It is… no, it was his job to spot things like this. Merlin, it's my job to spot things like this! Bill should really know by now that there are no secrets in our family.'

'I'm not the person to ask these things-' he shrugged hesitantly at seeing Ginny awaiting a response, '-I guess they could be expecting.' He mumbled, albeit seemingly reluctant to share his opinion on the matter. Ginny didn't care though.

She sat up alert suddenly, starting herself and making Harry sit up and take notice.

'Is everything ok?'

'Yeah, it's just I forgot to ask - how was work? You told me you were working when I told you about dinner.'

'You almost fell off your chair because you remembered to ask about my work?'

'Yes.'

Harry, Ginny decided, looked as though he didn't know how to react to this. His face was frozen in an expression of what she could only describe as bafflement. Or confusion.

Or a mixture of the two.

'Work was fine.'

'Is that all I'm getting?'

'You wanted more?'

'I don't know, did I?' Harry shrugged at her and took another swig of his firewhiskey.

The alcohol was settling in her causing a dim hazy cast to be lowered over her vision. And her thoughts too for that matter. She was a rather talkative person by nature, but drunk Ginny was ten times more so than sober Ginny.

'I'm going to ban the word "fine" from your vocabulary.'

Harry's arm was suspended in mid-air as he paused, bottle halfway to his lips. He said nothing, features neutral. Ginny could tell though that he was struggling to remain impassive.

'From here on out you're not allowed to say it again. Not to me anyway,' She propped her head up on her elbows, 'So I'll ask again - how was work?'

'Work was ok.'

'That's no better than fine.'

'I realised.'

'You're impossible Potter, you know that? I think Ron has been having a negative effect on you.'

'Has he now?'

'He has. I can tell. Call it my Weasley radar - it's practically a sixth sense we all have.'

Harry let out an amused breath that Ginny took as his equivalent of hysterical laughter. Her head was still propped on her elbows, which were firmly planted on the sticky table. She studied the man in front of her through the lashes of her drooping eyelids.

His eyes were bloodshot and dark smudges circled them. The bottle that was clutched in steady grasp was almost empty - only a dribble of amber liquid was left as he swirled it round in a hypnotic rhythm. Despite this - he didn't appear to be drunk. Not like she was. It was as if the void inside of him was so vast, not even the most potent of liquors could fill it. The sadness and emptiness she had seen lurking in those emerald green eyes had only diminished by a small amount. They still lingered, just as a bad cold would.

He looked, for lack of a better word, forlorn.

But there was also something else in there. Something new glittered and shone pleasantly and looked rather out of place in amongst the melancholy.

She couldn't work out what it was though.

Ginny crossed her legs and accidentally brushed against Harry's. He started, staring at her in shocked surprise and she assumed he hadn't felt a touch like that in a while. Or ever for that matter. She smiled at him, not flirtatiously, but what she hoped appeared understanding. Though knowing her drunken brazenness - it probably looked more like a strained grimace.

Harry looked at his wrist. On it sat a small and rather battered golden watch. He frowned as he looked at it and put the bottle he had been toying with down on the table with a thunk.

'I'm sorry, I've got to go now-' He slid out of the booth without really looking at her, 'do you need any help apparating home?' He mumbled and Ginny had to strain to hear him.

She considered him closely before answering, 'No I'm ok - Ron's coming back to the Burrow too so I'm leaving with him. Thank you though - tonight was nice.'

'Yeah… yeah it was. Night then.' He paused for a second, looking at her with a soft wistful expression, before he spun on his heel and made his way to the door.

'Goodnight.' She called after him. He turned, halfway there, and gave her a shy smile in acknowledgement. Or in goodbye. She was too hammered to tell the difference.

Again, like before, the empty seat across from her didn't stay empty for long.

'That looked raunchy.' Giggled Ronaid as she positively collapsed onto the seat. Ginny giggles too.

'Oh s-stop it!' She exclaimed, leaning over the table to slap the blonde lightly on the arm.

'Ginny Weasley trying to get into Harry Potter's pants - who'd have thought?' She smirked suspiciously.

A sudden thought sprung to the forefront of Ginny's muddled mind.

'You!'

'Me?'

'You sly little…' Exasperated, Ginny shook her head.

'I'm lost.'

'Are you sure you weren't in Slytherin? Were you just faking being in Hufflepuff the whole time you were at Hogwarts?'

'What the fuck are you waffling on about?' Ronaid looked genuinely confused, so Ginny decided to elaborate.

'Did you try and set me up with Harry when you volunteered me for the undercover job?'

Ronaid's eyes widened comically as she realised what Ginny was talking about.

'No…' She said it too jubilantly for Ginny to take her seriously.

'Ronaid!'

'What? What's wrong with what I did?'

Ginny's mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to find the words she wanted, 'You can't try and set me up with him! He doesn't like me and I don't like him - not in _that_ way.'

_But she can though, and you want her to - don't deny it_.

'Ha! I've seen toddlers lie better than that.'

'I'm not lying!'

'Oh sweet naive Ginny - you've basically got little hearts flying around your head like in those old cartoons I used to watch. You're smitten!'

'No I'm not.' Her heart wasn't in it, and Ronaid could tell.

'You are. And he is too.'

It was Ginny's turn to laugh.

'You've drunk more than I thought you had.'

'You forget o' young one. I've worked with the man of mystery for a couple of years now. I've learned one or two things about reading what that overly-functional mind of his is really thinking over time. He's like a closed bloody book, and I've managed to lift a page. The way he looks at you…' she drew a heart in midair with her index finger and then pointed at Ginny.

'You need to have a chat with sober Ronaid, drunk Ronaid.' Ginny said, pointing her finger at her friend too.

'Hello, you called sober Ronaid, How may I help you today? Oh - what's that? Yes, yes I can confirm that everything Miss Drunk Ronaid said was in fact true.' Ronaid had raised her hand up to her ear and animatedly pretended to answer the phone, and even though she tried hard not to a Ginny snorted with laughter.

'Stop it.'

'Not going to happen.'

'Stop!'

'No, because you see - my wise old barmy Dingwallian mother once told me that to turn your head away from the obvious is idiotic. And to deny yourself of something you want - you both want, I guess - is also idiotic.' She crossed her arms and raised a sharp blonde brow at Ginny, and Ginny's stubborn front dissolved.

'Do you really believe that?'

'I do.'

xXx

The hangover that had come as a result of Ron's leaving party had felt like it had taken all weekend to subside. It was Monday and she was back in the office, sat in her cubicle while twirling slowly from side to side on her chair.

The team had looked through the CCTV footage that Harry and Ginny had recovered from the newsagents that morning, however, they hadn't quite gotten what they wanted. Muggle technology, while it has its plus sides still had a long way to go. The image of the man they were looking for was distorted and unclear - he was merely a silhouette. They could make out the shape of his body and therefore his height - they estimated he was about five foot ten and of a medium build. That's all they could gather though. So Harry had made the call to continue the search based on the shop clerk David's description.

And now Ginny found herself sieving through a vast array of different files as she and the rest of the team looked for their murderer. It was one of the more tedious sides to the job, but it had to be done.

Ginny sighed heavily, licking her thumb and turning the page on Adrian Chavouk's record. Petty theft and illegal hippogriff trading. He wasn't their guy, she was sure. She took another look at his mugshot - a strangely aloof snarl with all teeth intact confirmed her suspicion.

'Any luck?'

'None yet, you?'

Thomas Jones shook his head with a grin. He was standing at the mouth of her cubicle carrying a mug of steaming tea, 'Nothing. I was talking to Ross and Anna - they've got nothing either.'

'Same with Ronaid, I asked her about ten minutes ago,' Ginny rubbed her eyes and peered at Jones, 'What about Harry and Ranah?'

'I haven't seen Ranah but last I saw Harry he was speaking to Robards. Don't ask - I don't know why.'

Ginny smiled, 'I wasn't going to ask.'

'Mmh, were you not now?' His Irish accent was lilting in amusement.

'Off you trot Jones - don't you have a job to be doing?'

'Alright, alright. I'll get going. Let me know if you find anything.'

'Likewise.'

It was at around three o'clock when a chipper voice sounded in her ear.

'Team meeting, five minutes in the briefing room.' It wasn't Jones this time, but Anna Fawley. She breezed away before Ginny could even try to speak.

'She's found something. Came straight to me. I'd be happier if I didn't know she was boasting.' Ronaid mumbled into her ear. She held the door open and Ginny slipped through to see half of the team assembled. Jones and Macleod slouching in chairs as Anna stood at the front of the room.

'Loosen up Fawley. Stand any straighter and you'll hit your head on the roof.' Ginny knew Roniad was joking, but she wouldn't be all that surprised if that ended up happening.

'Too late for that one Mackinnon, I've already informed her of that tidbit.' Macleod drawled with a smirk.

Fawley scowled at them all in turn. Ginny wasn't sure, but she thought the scowl deepened when turned on her.

'You're all so funny. I don't know why you don't all have a stint at the Leakey's comedy night.'

'Because they'd be a hit and they aren't ready for that sort of fame yet.' Ginny turned to see the smiling face of Ailsa Howards coming through the door. Jones mumbled something into Macleod's ear and they both chuckled, obviously amused, but at what Ginny could only formulate a rough idea.

'Yes, because that's accurate.' Fawley fumed towards the ceiling.

Ginny wasn't sure about Anna Fawley. She leaned forward in her chair as she covertly studied the woman in front of her. She didn't know what it was about her. At times, she appeared overly enthusiastic and at others, downright irritable and pretentious. It was as though her exuberant self was merely a facade to cover something. But to cover up what, Ginny didn't know.

'What have you found Anna? I got your memo.'

She hadn't heard him come in, but when she turned to look at him she couldn't stop her eyes from widening.

He looked awful - worse than his usual standard. He was as pale as a ghost and Ginny could've sworn that she saw his hands shaking, probably from exhaustion but she couldn't be sure.

'You look like shit.' Macleod stated, sounding completely nonplussed. Harry either ignored him or didn't hear him, either way, he dropped into the chair next to Ginny.

She felt her heart flutter dangerously as she caught his eye. She tried to channel her concern through her gaze and it looked like it may have worked, for the corner of his mouth quirked in a reassuring way. It didn't alleviate her worry though.

She was so wrapped up in Harry that she hadn't noticed Shafiq slouch into the room after him. Ginny only noticed when she felt the daggers pierce the back of her head. She swivelled in her chair slightly and smiled sweetly at her colleague who merely stared back stoically.

Ronaid was right. Shafiq was a bitch.

'Right, now that we're all here I can get on with it.' Fawley jabbed her wand at the board next to her and looked smugly at them all as a mugshot of a man appeared alongside a couple of article clippings.

It was all rather anticlimactic Ginny thought.

'This is Jack Cartwright.' Fawley paused dramatically.

'And that's supposed to mean something?' Said Ronaid.

'I'd hope so.'

Ginny looked around and shared confused glances with the rest of the team. Even Harry looked like he had no idea who the man was.

'Please elaborate Anna.' He said as he crossed his arms over his chest, hiding his shaking hands from view.

'Jack Cartwright is a halfblood wizard with a criminal record - and I think you'll find he matches that muggles description perfectly. His build matches the CCTV footage too.'

'What's his record for?' Inquired Jones.

'Fraud.'

'What did he do?' Ailsa asked, intrigued. Ginny was too, though she hid it well. She didn't want to fuel Fawley's dramatics.

'He sold a kneazle to an elderly woman claiming it was a crup.'

A bark of laughter left Ginny's lips and she found herself giggling into her hands. She wasn't the only one, Ronaid was wheezing, clutching her stomach and Ailsa was grinning. Jones and Macleod were leaning on each other, tears of mirth rolling down their cheeks.

Merlin, even Shafiq was smiling.

Ginny opened her eyes and slyly looked at Harry, and though he was distorted through the tears in her eyes, she could see a small smile on his face too. The smile filled her with a whole new feeling of elation.

'It's not that funny. Guys come on! It's not that funny!' Fawley's pissed off shout barely cut through their laughter. Ginny forced herself to calm down, breathing heavily through her nose.

'Merlin you lot behave like two-year-olds. Grow up.'

'Liven up Anna, honestly - laughing won't kill you, you know.' Ronaid spoke through stray breaths of amusement.

Ginny forced the grin off of her face as she addressed Fawley, 'Why do you think he's a suspect, apart from him matching the description and footage?'

'Because of those reasons, and on top of it, he has a past history of crime and the fact that he worked in Alicia's department in the Ministry.'

That worked in sobering her up.

'Bloody hell, lead with that next time!' Ronaid exclaimed.

'He was seen by some muggles going to her house a couple of nights before the murder, and he's been seen going to and from a house across the road from Alicia's for several months now, about once a week.'

'Do we know why he's been going there?' Inquired Jones, as he ran his fingers through his beard.

'Not yet. No one was in when we knocked looking for a statement. My guess is that he's been going there to scope the area. Maybe to monitor Alicia's movements.'

'You should still go back and check again though, we can't just rely on a hunch, no matter how much I'd like to. Take Macleod with you and see if anyone actually lives there, if you don't get an answer just come back and we'll go from there.' Harry spoke tiredly, though his authoritative tone didn't falter. He held out a hand and Fawley wordlessly handed him the file, knowing that it was exactly what he wanted. Ginny watched as his brow creased and his eyes skimmed over the rows of information, flitting back and forth in a rhythmic dance.

He cleared his throat, 'Do we know anything about his wife?'

'He's got a missus?' Macleod piped up, surprise evident in his tone. Harry flashed the picture of Cartwright's wife to Macleod, and he whistled appreciatively, 'he's punching above his weight, isn't he? Why would a lass like that go for a prick him?'

Ginny couldn't help but agree with her colleague. Mrs Cartwright was, quite frankly, a gorgeous woman. She was of average height and stature, but the photo taken of her showed off all of her assets in a way that Ginny could not help but appreciate. Her face was set in stoic lines, ones that screamed her misery.

'Does she not have a mugshot?' Asked Shafiq quietly.

'No, she's not got a record. That photo is in our guy's file because she vouched for him when he was on trial.' Fawley spoke, eyes trained on the photo of the stoney-faced woman.

'That's a valid point actually Macleod - why is she with him? She doesn't exactly look like a woman who's in love. And I mean… look at her. Then look at him. Hell, even Jones would probably try and get a leg over her.'

Jones snorted, 'It's tempting. I don't think Tyler would be impressed though.'

'I'm sure he'd understand why his husband cheated on him if he saw that photo.' Macleod clapped a hand on Jones' shoulder in jest.

'As much as I'd love to, I couldn't do that to Charlie and Lola - they'd be devastated.'

'They're dogs Thomas, I'm sure they'd be fine with it.'

'I wouldn't put much stock in that.'

Their easy banter remained Ginny of her brothers and herself. A fond smile stretched across her face as she leaned back, watching their exchange.

'Guys - can we get back on track now?'

It seemed others didn't share her sentiments. And going by the irritated scowl on Fawley's face, she was reaching the end of her tether.

'Do we have any idea where Cartwright is right now?' Said Shafiq as she fiddled with the black bobble on her wrist.

'Aye, it says here that he lives with his wife at Craigwest House in Cumbria.' The file had made its way to Ronaid. She sat with it held up in front of her, poised in a way that was not too dissimilar to how Ginny's own father would read the Daily Prophet.

'I think we should question the wife.' Ginny spoke up and all eyes fell upon her.

'I think she could be helpful - I mean, just look at her here-' She jabbed her wand at the file and levitated the photo so that everyone could see, 'She looks downright depressed. I know a happy marriage when I see one - that's not it. I suspect that she could provide us with some incriminating information if prodded.'

'That's all well and good, but you're forgetting one thing - she vouched for him when he was on trial. Why would she be happy to dob him in now?' Shafiq had a smarmy expression plastered on her face, and it took all of Ginny's self-restraint not to punch her squarely in the jaw. She could feel her fist curling by her side. A tap on her shoulder cleared some of the red from her vision. Ronaid was offering the file to her and they shared a withering look as she handed it over. Her friend jerked her head towards Shafiq and mouthed the word "bitch" without even trying to be discreet. A snort from the other side of the room told Ginny that Ailsa had been looking.

'I realised that Shafiq, funnily enough, it's my job to,' Shafiq's smirk wilted slightly, 'I didn't say that she'd do it for shits and giggles. I think she feels trapped in her marriage - he might've threatened her in some way to ensure that she stays with him.'

'Why would he do that?' Shafiq shot back looking slightly flushed.

Ginny glanced at the open file in her hands. A small gasp left her slightly parted lips - a lightbulb may as well have appeared above her head.

'Did you see who the wife actually is? Her name is Oralia Cartwright - but her maiden name is Flint.'

'Flint? Why's that so important?' Ronaid asked, confusion apparent in her tone.

'The Flint family are one of the Sacred 28. It's a very prestigious title.' Said Fawley. Ginny's eyes narrowed - she didn't like the way Fawley had said that. Neither, it seemed, did the others.

'What is that supposed to mean Fawley?' Ronaid spoke heatedly, snapping at Anna in a way that reminded Ginny of Ron when he was angry.

'Nothing! I just mean that she's from a very old family, that's all.' Fawley held up her hands in mock-surrender, cowering slightly from the stern looks she was receiving, 'They're a very rich family. Cartwright might be threatening his wife to take advantage of her wealth, or because he wants to be associated with the family.' She was obviously trying to steer the attention away from her and back onto the topic they were originally discussing. Ginny reluctantly went with the diversion, mentally storing the memory away to be examined later.

'I agree with Ginny. I think we should question Mrs Cartwright about her husband's whereabouts on the night of Miss Spinnet's murder, and also about his general behaviour. We can ask about their relationship while we're at it just to be safe.' Ginny could feel the tell-tale Weasley blush stain her cheeks as he spoke, seconding her suggestion. She turned to him with a grateful look, soundlessly mouthing her thanks. He nodded back at her, but Ginny couldn't help but notice the way the corner of his mouth has a twitched in the ghost of a smile.

She heard her colleagues conversing, but their words sounded distorted as though she were underwater. The water blocking out everything but him.

Harry confused her. There was something about him that she didn't quite understand. Ginny couldn't put her finger on it though. He was a man who was shrouded in rumours and mystery, and Ginny was determined to unravel them and find out what the truth was.

She liked him. A lot. She had always liked him. Ginny wasn't obsessed with him anymore, but she fancied the fuck out of him - not because he was "The Chosen One", but because he was nice and he had a kind soul. That, and he was gorgeous.

The team decided later on that Ginny and Ronaid would go and question Oralia Cartwright the following day, and as Ginny walked up the path to the Burrow that night - she realised she didn't really know Harry Potter at all.

xXx

As soon as she arrived at the end of the lane that led to Craigwest House, the fresh smell of a dewy forest hit her nostrils. Ginny inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, savouring the way the cool air swept over her face. Loose tendrils of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail tickled her skin making her scrunch her face up in discomfort. She tucked the fiery strands behind her ears harriedly.

She didn't flinch at the sudden crack behind her.

'All right there?' Ronaid walked to her side, a playful lilt gracing her tone.

'Never better.'

Ronaid looked around at the trees surrounding them, 'This is the place?'

Ginny nodded, 'Yeah. We just have to walk that way for a bit.' She gestured to the winding dirt path ahead of them. The wards placed around the house made it so they had to apparate just outside of them.

They walked up the path. The ground was damp underfoot. Potholes were filled with murky water and it seemed that Ronaid was determined to stomp her way through each one. They eventually rounded another corner and a large, old house came into view. Its walls were overwhelmed by thick green vines that crept their way around the veiled windows and the large oak doors.

Ginny walked up the steps with a feeling akin to curiosity. She knocked on the door and a hollow sound rang in her ears. They waited for an answer.

And waited.

Ginny shared a look with Ronaid, who jerked her head at the door in a silent invitation to knock again. Ginny raised a curled hand, about to knock again when both doors swung inwards.

At first she thought there was no one there. There was, at least, no one there who was on her eye level.

'Hello. I'm Auror Mackinnon, this is Auror Weasley. We're from the Ministry of Magic. Is Mrs Cartwright home?' Ronaid and Ginny looked down at a frail looking house elf. She was dressed in a stained black cloth that looked old, judging by the many threads on the fraying hem. Ginny thought back to Kreacher's old rag and thought they looked rather similar.

'Mistress Oralia isn't expecting guests.' Her voice was squeaky and shrill, and Ginny couldn't help but cringe in discomfort.

'We are sorry to come unannounced, we just have a couple of questions for her - she's not in any trouble.' Ginny added hastily at the alarmed look on the elf's face.

'I don't know if Shenny should-' But the elf was interrupted by a shout from the bowels of the house.

'Shenny. Who's there?'

'Aurors, Mistress Oralia.'

There was a pause.

'Show them in.'

They followed Shenny in through the doorway into a rather bland high-ceilinged hallway, Ronaid having surreptitiously dried off her mud-clarted shoes with a simple charm. Oralia Cartwright was waiting for them in the study. She was leaning on a varnished oak table as she swirled a tall glass of prosecco in her slender hand. Ginny's first thought was that she looked ill and drawn under the pale light of the crystal chandelier. The thick layer of make-up she was wearing failed to hide just how pale she was - her porcelain face contrasted heavily with her black hair that hung limply. She still looked as gorgeous as the photo in the file made her out to be.

'Can I help you?' Her tone was haughty and proper Ginny would say, but she sounded tired at the time.

'Hello, Mrs Cartwright. I'm Auror Weasley, this is Auror Mackinnon. We're here to ask you a few questions concerning your husband, Mr Cartwright.' Ginny kept her tone friendly and professional, "FP" Lucy used to call it.

'Yes, I thought you might. You'd better take a seat.'

She sat on a hard leather ottoman, concealing her surprise well - it had looked softer than it was.

'I'll get straight to the point Mrs Cartwright-'

'Call me Oralia, please.' Oralia interrupted.

'As you wish. You may already be aware that a week ago a witch by the name of Alicia Spinnet was murdered in the seaside town Newquay.'

'Yes, yes I read about it in the Prophet. It's simply awful.' She sounded sincere.

Ginny nodded, 'We searched the scene and interviewed Miss Spinnet's neighbours, and on further investigations, we gathered some new evidence.'

'Oralia,' continued Ronaid, 'we have reason to believe that your husband Jack was involved in the killing.'

Oralia's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She downed the rest of her prosecco and with a deft swish of her wand, summoned through the bottle.

'He wasn't home that night… I remember it. He said he had somewhere to go, he's always saying that these days. I asked him where he was going, and he snapped at me. Said, "it's none of your bloody business." and he told me not to leave the house and he'd know if I did, then he left. He didn't come back for a couple of days, it was just Shenny and me in the house.' Oralia's voice wavered as she spoke. Ginny shared a significant look with Ronaid, the grim feeling of anticipation building in her chest.

'You don't know where he went?' Oralia shook her head and whispered a small 'no'.

'Why would he tell you not to leave the house?' Ronaid asked softly.

'He knows I want to.'

'And why do you want to?'

'We… we don't exactly get along.' Ginny waited for her to continue, leaning forward ever so slightly.

'When I first met Jack he was, charming to say the least. I fell in love with him and I thought he loved me back. We got married just after I left Hogwarts.'

'What did your family have to say about this?' Ginny asked, knowing full well how passionate the Flint's were about blood purity and their feelings towards muggleborns and even halfbloods, one of which Jack was.

'They were furious. You know how they can be, what with you being a Weasley and all - you're lucky your family doesn't care about staus or blood. I didn't care though - all I cared about was being with Jack.' She let out a bitter laugh, 'if only I knew. If only I had known what I had gotten myself in for. All I wanted was to have a doting husband and kids, maybe a dog or two as well - I wanted a family. A normal, happy family. I realised soon after we married that Jack didn't love me - he loved my money, my old name, my riches. He uses me, and he knows I know it.'

'Why did you vouch for him at his trial?' Questioned Ronaid.

Oralia smiled sadly at the pair of them.

'You have to understand that I'm not like my family - I don't care about blood purity or crap like that. I married Jack because I thought we were in love. When I realised we weren't, he began to threaten me. He said that if I left him, he'd come for me, he'd say I was insane and claim my money that way, he'd kill my sister Rosalina - all sorts. I can't risk it. He said if I didn't at least vouch for him at the trial, Rosa would be dead in a ditch by the end of the day. I was scared. I am scared. It's why I haven't said anything. But now… now I know he could be locked away and there's nothing I can do about it...' She trailed off, looking at them desperately, then took a swig from the bottle.

'Thank you, Oralia, for your help. We'll make sure that you get protection from your husband if he ever resurfaces, don't worry. For now, we'll put some wards around the premises that block him from re-entering. You'll be safe here. We'll do the same to your sister's house too.' Ginny glanced at Ronaid for backup and smiled gratefully as Ronaid nodded her affirmation.

They bade Oralia goodbye and walked back down the dirt path, Ginny murmuring the necessary protection wards and charms as they went, Ronaid helping. The breeze caressed Ginny's face as she twisted on the spot they had appeared at earlier - though this time she disappeared. Ginny headed back to the Ministry, fighting the urge to immediately hunt down Jack Cartwright and give him a blast of her Bat-Bogey hex, or better yet, a good kick in the dick.

* * *

A/N: Hello! I can only apologise for how long it has taken me to get this chapter out. Life got in the way, but I reserved a whole day for the sole purpose of getting this chapter finished up.

I'm usually very active on Tumblr, so if you have any questions I'd recommend messaging me or sending me an anon on there. It's the same username as on here.

I hope you all enjoyed and thank you for your lovely reviews - I promise I read them all!


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